Judge declares mistrial on Harvey Weinstein rape charge

Prosecutors accidental they are prepared to spell to proceedings for a 3rd clip aft hostility among jurors derails proceedings.

The justice successful the enactment crimes retrial of disgraced amusement mogul Harvey Weinstein enactment crimes retrial has declared a mistrial connected an outstanding rape complaint against the movie producer, aft the assemblage foreperson refused to instrumentality to deliberate the lawsuit amid a assemblage country feud.

Judge Curtis Farber dismissed jurors successful the New York tribunal who had been incapable to scope a verdict connected the complaint that Weinstein raped Jessica Mann.

“Deliberations became heated to specified a grade I americium obligated to state a mistrial connected the 1 number connected which you didn’t scope a verdict,” Farber declared from the wood-panelled bench, wearing a robe and speechmaking glasses.

Tensions wrong the assemblage successful the proceedings person been a root of speculation for respective days, and the assemblage foreperson said that helium had been yelled astatine for refusing to alteration his ballot connected the rape count. He said that helium felt bullied and said “No, I’m sorry,” erstwhile asked connected Thursday if helium would instrumentality to the assemblage room.

The determination is the latest improvement successful a years-long ineligible saga focused connected Weinstein’s grounds of intersexual maltreatment during his clip arsenic a almighty fig successful the amusement industry.

More than 100 women person accused Weinstein of varying forms of intersexual misconduct, and allegations against him helped spark the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to travel guardant with their stories of intersexual maltreatment astatine the hands of almighty men successful a assortment of industries.

The assemblage convicted Weinstein of 1 felony enactment maltreatment charge, stemming from allegations from erstwhile accumulation adjunct Miriam Haley, connected Wednesday, and acquitted him of another. But the assemblage could not determine connected the 3rd charge, which stems from allegations by Jessica Mann that Weinstein raped her successful 2013.

The hairstylist and histrion testified for days astir what she says was her rape by Weinstein successful a Manhattan edifice room, an lawsuit she besides recounted during the archetypal proceedings successful 2020. Manhattan authoritative Nicole Blumberg has said that Mann is prepared to spell to proceedings for a 3rd time.

Another assemblage successful the Manhattan tribunal had recovered Weinstein blameworthy successful 2020 of raping Mann and sexually assaulting Haley, but New York state’s highest tribunal overturned that condemnation past year.

Weinstein criticised the tribunal proceedings aft Farber’s decision.

“I can’t beryllium judged by a concern that’s going connected similar this,” said the 73-year-old Weinstein, who has denied each charges.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies