Fresh strains emerged Monday amongst jurors within the intercourse crimes retrial of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, elevating the danger of a deadlocked jury and a mistrial.
As court docket proceedings resumed within the New York courtroom, Judge Curtis Farber learn aloud two notes despatched to him by the 12-member jury deliberating behind closed doorways.
In the primary notice, a juror expressed a want to speak to Farber “about the situation that isn’t very good.”
In the second, jurors wrote they “request the entire definition of reasonable doubt and rules of the jury especially to avoid a hung jury.”
A hung jury happens when a decide acknowledges that jurors have been unable to succeed in a unanimous resolution after a number of days of deliberations. In that case, a mistrial is said and a brand new trial could also be held.
On Monday morning, Weinstein, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the worldwide #MeToo motion, regarded on impassively from his wheelchair, because the decide, prosecutors and his legal professionals engaged in tense discussions.
The jury should determine whether or not Weinstein — accused by dozens of ladies of being a sexual predator — is responsible of sexual assaults in 2006 on Miriam Haley and former mannequin Kaja Sokola, and of rape in 2013 of then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann.
Weinstein is on trial once more after a New York state appeals court docket threw out his 2020 convictions, citing irregularities within the authentic proceedings. The former film trade titan’s 23-year jail sentence for the preliminary conviction was thrown out, however he stays imprisoned for separate offenses.
On Friday, one juror got here ahead to report tensions between his fellow panelists, alleging “people are being shunned. It’s playground stuff.”
He requested to resign as a juror, however Farber denied his request.
Responding to the scenario, Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala referred to as for a mistrial, however the decide refused his request.
At noon Monday, one other juror sought to ship a message of reassurance that issues had calmed down.
“Things are going well, the tone is very different today, we are finding headways,” she instructed the decide, who appeared to breathe a sigh of aid.
During the trial, the three alleged victims testified for a number of days, recounting how the highly effective film producer had compelled them into sexual relations after luring them to his house or a resort room in New York.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Nicole Blumberg summarized the proof of the three alleged victims by saying merely: “He raped three women, they all said no.”
The Hollywood determine had “all the power” and “all the control” over the alleged victims, which is why jurors ought to discover him responsible, she stated.
“The defendant thought the rules did not apply to him, now it is the time to let him know that the rules apply to him.”
Weinstein didn’t take the stand however conceded in an interview with FOX5 tv on Friday that he had acted “immorally.” He insisted he did nothing legal, nevertheless.
Weinstein’s protection group has steered the ladies accused him to attain a payday from a authorized settlement or legal damages.
© 2025 AFP