In his sex crimes retrial, Harvey Weinstein received a mixed verdict from the jury on Wednesday. He was found guilty on one count, not guilty on another, and the jury was unable to reach a decision on a third.
Numerous women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault, and misconduct over three decades. The accusations sparked the #MeToo movement. His 2020 conviction in New York for rape and sexual assault, and his 2022 conviction in Los Angeles, were considered wins for the movement. However, New York’s highest court later overturned his New York conviction last year, sending the case back to the Manhattan court.
Here’s a breakdown of the case and the jury’s verdict on Wednesday.
Why was Weinstein being retried?
Weinstein was originally found guilty in 2020 of sexual assault and third-degree rape, but acquitted of predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape. The New York Court of Appeals reversed his conviction in 2024, stating that the judge had unfairly prejudiced Weinstein’s case. This was because the judge allowed prosecutors to present testimonies from women whose accusations weren’t directly related to the charges.
In 2020, Lauren Young, Dawn Dunning, and Tarale Wulff testified about their encounters with Weinstein. This testimony was permitted under a New York law allowing evidence of “prior bad acts” to demonstrate patterns of behavior.
However, New York’s highest court determined that the three women’s testimonies “served no material non-propensity purpose.”
Because his conviction was overturned, Weinstein’s case was retried.
What did the jury decide?
On Wednesday, jurors found the former film executive guilty of forcing someone into a criminal sex act, related to an event in 2006. However, they acquitted him of another criminal sex act charge, which also involved a 2006 incident.
As of Wednesday afternoon, jurors couldn’t agree on a verdict for the 2013 rape charge. They are scheduled to return on Thursday to continue deliberations on the remaining charge.
Weinstein, who has consistently denied sexually assaulting or raping anyone, pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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