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Telegraph
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
How ‘12 Angry Men' caused Weinstein mistrial
All eyes may have been on Harvey Weinstein as he awaited his fate on the 13th floor of Manhattan criminal court but it was even tenser behind the scenes. The disgraced movie mogul, who was found guilty of one count of sexual assault on Wednesday but cleared of a second, had an outstanding rape charge collapse on Thursday as tensions in his jury reached breaking point. There had been rumblings of discontent: reports of shouting, bullying – one juror is even said to have challenged another to a physical fight. Judge Curtis Farber tried in vain to keep proceedings on track, insisting these were nothing more than the 'normal tensions' which occur during the course of a trial, particularly one as high-profile as this. Nobody can be quite sure what happened behind the closed doors of the jury room, except for the 12 members of the jury. But on Thursday, the foreman headed into court and refused to return to the deliberations. For Weinstein, a fallen Hollywood titan, the drama could have challenged any of the hundreds of films he produced before he was toppled by the MeToo scandal. Addressing the foreman's concerns, Arthur Aidala, acting for Weinstein, claimed he had never heard of a case where a 'grown man who was in good physical shape' was 'so intimidated' that he point-blank refused to go back to the jury room, calling it evidence of 'gross juror misconduct'. The first signs that something was amiss came on Friday, when one of the 12 asked to be removed from the case, aggrieved that a fellow juror was being treated in an 'unfair and unjust' way by others. 'Playground stuff' was happening, with a member of the jury being shunned and spoken about behind their back, he said. Judge Farber, rejecting the defence's request for a mistrial, said: 'This is nothing other than normal tensions during heated deliberations.' Noting the juror who made the request was the youngest of the group, he suggested his age 'makes him uncomfortable with conflict'. 'Jurors attacking each other' When proceedings resumed on Monday, the foreman raised concerns that his peers were aggressively pushing others to change their mind, and straying beyond the specifics of Weinstein's charges. 'I feel like they are attacking, talking together, fighting together. I don't like it,' he said, according to a transcript of his conversation with Judge Faber and legal teams. From there the tensions steadily ramped up, with the disgraced producer addressing the court on Wednesday after a fourth complaint from a juror, pleading: 'This is not right for me… this is my life that's on the line.' The same day, Judge Farber told the court there had been 'some fighting in the jury room' and that at least one juror told another: 'I'll meet you outside one day.' 'It's 12 people who don't know each other and are randomly thrown together, and there are so many variables,' Sabrina Shroff, a veteran New York defence lawyer, told The Telegraph. 'Race is a variable, sexuality is a variable, class is a variable. So you don't really know which one of these things is at play when they're deliberating.' Lone holdouts could often end up feeling 'bullied' by their peers, she said – particularly in a high-profile trial, which breeds suspicions they have one eye on a TV or book deal afterwards. For now, the source of that conflict remains a matter of speculation, but John C Coffee, a professor at Columbia Law School, suggests it could stem from the fact that Weinstein was a major figure felled by the MeToo movement. 'This case falls on one of the leading fault lines in our society,' Prof Coffee said, arguing that society had shifted rightwards since Weinstein was first toppled from his Hollywood perch in 2017. 'Seeing this backsliding may enrage some women, or men who share a feminist view. Both sides may be trodding on the other's sensitivities' in the 'packed-in, sweaty tension' of the jury room, he continued. Bill Cosby, who was convicted of sexual assault before the decision was overturned in 2021, was another MeToo casualty. The first attempt to secure his conviction in 2017 ultimately fell apart when the jury failed to reach a consensus, amid fractious scenes that threatened to spill over into violence. According to ABC News, five sheriff's deputies were stationed outside the door of the jury room, and repeatedly barged in during arguments because they feared a brawl was taking place. One male juror on the case, which was held in Pennsylvania, is said to have become so enraged that he punched a wall. 'I think he broke his pinky knuckle,' an juror who served alongside him said. 'If we kept going, there was definitely going to be a fight.' The tensions were reportedly exacerbated by the fact that jurors were crammed into a room so small they could not stretch their legs – a situation so frustrating that some would spontaneously burst into tears. New York, where the Weinstein case was heard, works hard to keep its jurors fed, watered and content to limit disruptions, according to Ms Shroff. 'They get a snack, an 11am break and a 3pm break, and the court will send cookies or something like that,' she revealed. 'And if they don't, the jurors will send a note to the court saying that last week, yesterday, 'we didn't get cookies'.' After throwing out Weinstein's rape charge, Judge Farber said most of the jurors had denied they were riven by bullying and fighting. 'They all thought they were involved in a normal discourse, and they don't understand why the [foreman] bowed out,' he said. In the end, the jury seems to have been so hopelessly at odds that they could not even agree on how divided they were.
News24
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Harvey Weinstein retrial drama: Mistrial declared after heated juror clash on rape charge
On Thursday, a mistrial was declared on the outstanding rape charge against Harvey Weinstein in his sex crimes retrial. Judge Curtis Farber dismissed jurors who had been unable to reach a verdict on the charge that Weinstein raped Jessica Mann. Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, had forcefully argued that a crime had been committed against one of the jurors, but the judge dismissed the claim. The judge in the Harvey Weinstein sex crimes retrial declared a mistrial on the outstanding rape charge against the movie producer Thursday after the jury foreperson refused to return to deliberate the case amid a jury room feud. In front of packed press and public benches in the 13th-floor New York courtroom, Judge Curtis Farber dismissed jurors who had been unable to reach a verdict on the charge that Weinstein raped Jessica Mann. 'Deliberations became heated to such a degree I am obligated to declare a mistrial on the one count on which you didn't reach a verdict,' Farber declared from the wood-panelled bench, wearing a robe and reading glasses. Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, had forcefully argued that a crime had been committed against one of the jurors, but the judge dismissed the claim. On Wednesday, the jury convicted Weinstein of sexual assault on Miriam Haley and acquitted the fallen movie mogul for allegedly sexually assaulting Kaja Sokola. The defence vowed to appeal. The prosecutor brushed off the defence's claim that a retrial on the charge of raping Mann would exert unfair pressure on the alleged victim. 'We will proceed to trial, and that is what justice would be in this case,' Nicole Blumberg said. Outside court, Aidala alleged that two jurors had indicated to his team that the panel had considered the cases of rapper Sean 'P Diddy' Combs and convicted child sex abuser R. Kelly in their discussions. '(If) they say, 'Well, look at R Kelly. Look what's going on across the street with P Diddy'... That's not what you can do, and that's what we just heard happen,' said the sharp-suited attorney. Combs is on trial at a nearby courthouse for alleged racketeering and other crimes, and the publicity of that case has largely eclipsed Weinstein's retrial. ANGELA WEISS / AFP Weinstein, 73 and wheelchair-bound by ill-health, is already in jail for a 16-year term after he was convicted in a separate California case of raping a European actress more than a decade ago. Proceedings in New York have been dogged by personal issues between jurors, two of whom have privately complained to the judge about fellow panellists. The foreman had told Judge Farber he could not continue after facing threats. 'One other juror made comments to the effect 'I'll meet you outside one day',' the judge said Wednesday quoting the foreman, adding there was yelling between jurors. After Weinstein's lawyer demanded a mistrial over the jury rupture, Weinstein himself addressed the court Wednesday, deploying a commanding voice reminiscent of his Hollywood heyday. 'Threats, violence, intimidation' 'We've heard threats, violence, intimidation - this is not right for me... the person who is on trial here,' he said. The Oscar-winner's conviction on the Haley charge is a vindication for Haley, whose complaint in part led to the initial guilty verdict in 2020. That landmark case helped spur the 'MeToo' movement that saw an outpouring of allegations from prominent women who were abused by men. Weinstein underwent a spectacular fall from his position at the top of the world of Hollywood and show business in 2017 when allegations against him exploded into public. The movement upended the film industry, exposing the systemic exploitation of young women seeking to work in entertainment and provoking a reckoning on how to end the toxic culture. More than 80 women accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct in the wake of the global backlash against men abusing positions of power. Weinstein's original 2020 conviction and the resulting 23-year prison term were thrown out last year after an appeals court found irregularities in the way witnesses were presented.
Associated Press
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Weinstein case judge declares mistrial on remaining rape charge as jury foreperson won't deliberate
NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein 's sex crimes retrial came to a disjointed end Thursday as the jury foreperson declined to deliberate and the judge declared a mistrial on a remaining rape charge, a day after a split verdict on other charges in the landmark #MeToo-era case. The outcome positions the ex-studio boss for a third New York trial — prosecutors said they're ready to retry the rape count — even as he faces a new sentencing on his sexual assault conviction. Weinstein, 73, denies all the charges. The Oscar-winning movie producer had a blank, drained expression as court officers escorted him out Thursday in his wheelchair. His lawyer said he plans to appeal. 'What happened in that jury room was absolutely improper,' attorney Arthur Aidala said outside court. Weinstein is due back in court July 2 for discussion of retrial and sentencing dates. His first-degree criminal sex act conviction carries the potential for up to 25 years in prison, while the unresolved third-degree rape charge is punishable by up to four years — less than he already has served. He's been behind bars since his initial conviction in 2020, and he later also was sentenced to prison in a separate California case, which he's appealing. In Wednesday's partial verdict, Weinstein was convicted of one criminal sex act charge but acquitted of another. Both concerned accusations of forcing oral sex on women in 2006. Those verdicts still stand. While the jury of seven women and five men was unanimous on those decisions, it got stuck on the rape charge involving another woman, Jessica Mann. The hairstylist and actor testified at length — as she did in 2020 — that Weinstein raped her amid a years-long consensual relationship. 'I will never give up on myself and making sure my voice – and the truth – is heard,' Mann said in a statement Thursday, confirming she's ready to testify yet again. Jury-room strains started leaking into public view Friday, when a juror asked to be excused because he felt another was being treated unfairly. Then Monday, the foreperson complained that other jurors were pushing people to change their minds and talking about information beyond the charges. The man raised concerns again Wednesday, telling the judge he felt afraid in the jury room because another juror was yelling at him for sticking to his opinion and suggested the foreperson would 'see me outside.' When Judge Curtis Farber asked the foreperson Thursday whether he was willing to return to deliberations, the man said said no. And with that, Farber declared a mistrial on the rape count. Two jurors disputed the foreperson's account as they left court. One, Chantan Holmes, said that no one mistreated the man and that she believed he was just tired of deliberating. 'We all felt bad. Because we really wanted to do this. We put our hearts and souls in here,' she said. Another jury member, who identified himself only by his juror number, said the deliberations were contentious, but respectful. Weinstein's 2020 conviction seemed to cement the downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful men in a pivotal moment for the # MeToo movement. The anti-sexual-misconduct campaign was fueled by allegations against him. But that conviction was overturned last year, and the case was sent back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse. Weinstein's accusers said he exploited his Tinseltown influence to dangle career help, get them alone and then trap and force them into sexual encounters. 'These hopeful young women were trying to follow their dreams in a world that he controlled,' Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, said at a news conference Thursday. Weinstein's defense portrayed his accusers as Hollywood wannabes and hangers-on who willingly hooked up with him to court opportunity, then later said they were victimized to collect settlement funds and #MeToo approbation. Miriam Haley, the producer and production assistant whom Weinstein was convicted — twice, now — of sexually assaulting, said outside court Wednesday that the new verdict 'gives me hope.' Accuser Kaja Sokola also called it 'a big win for everyone,' even though Weinstein was acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on her when she was a 19-year-old fashion model. Her allegation was added to the case after the retrial was ordered. Holmes, the juror who spoke outside court, said the panel all felt Sokola 'wasn't credible.' The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they agree to be identified. Haley, Mann and Sokola did so. ___ Associated Press journalists Joseph B. Frederick and Ted Shaffrey contributed.
CNA
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Harvey Weinstein convicted of sex crime as jury deliberations continue
NEW YORK: A Manhattan jury on Wednesday (Jun 11) found former movie producer Harvey Weinstein guilty on one sex crimes charge, while remaining deadlocked on another and acquitting him of a third. The partial verdict follows fractious deliberations in a retrial after his 2020 conviction was overturned. Weinstein, 73, was convicted of sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. He was acquitted of charges related to an alleged assault of Kaja Sokola in 2002, when she was 16. Jurors have yet to reach a decision on whether Weinstein raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. Deliberations on that count will continue on Thursday. TENSIONS IN THE JURY ROOM The fifth day of deliberations was marked by heated exchanges among jurors. Justice Curtis Farber said one juror, referred to as Juror One, reported receiving a threat from another panelist. 'Juror One has made it very clear that he is not going to change his position,' Farber said. 'He indicated that at least one other juror made comments to the juror that 'I'll meet you outside one day,' and there's yelling and screaming.' Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, moved for a mistrial following these revelations. While the judge initially planned to dismiss the jury for the day, a note was sent indicating that a partial verdict had been reached. The retrial began on Apr 23 and was initiated after the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction, citing judicial errors. That trial was seen as a major milestone in the #MeToo movement. Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty, is also serving a 16-year sentence in California following a separate 2022 conviction for rape. He has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex and assault. CLOSING ARGUMENTS AND LEGAL STRATEGIES In closing arguments delivered on Jun 3, prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office described Weinstein as a serial predator who used his Hollywood influence to lure and assault women. The defence countered that the encounters were consensual and claimed that the accusers lied after failing to achieve success in the entertainment industry. 'Weinstein engaged in 'mutually beneficial' relationships,' the defence argued, adding that the women involved received auditions and other career opportunities. HOLLYWOOD MOGUL TO INMATE Weinstein co-founded the Miramax film studio, which produced acclaimed movies including Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love. In 2018, five months after accusations against him became public, his personal production company filed for bankruptcy. More than 100 women, including prominent actresses, have come forward with misconduct allegations against Weinstein. He has remained incarcerated at Rikers Island during the retrial, reportedly suffering several health issues. In September, he underwent emergency heart surgery.
BreakingNews.ie
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Weinstein guilty of one charge in sex assaults trial but acquitted of second
Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of one of the charges in his sex crimes retrial – but acquitted of another, and jurors were unable to reach a verdict on a third charge. The split verdict on Wednesday meted out a measure of vindication to his accusers and prosecutors – but also to Weinstein – after the landmark case was thrown into limbo. Advertisement Weinstein's initial conviction five years ago seemed to cement the downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful men in a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement. But that conviction was overturned last year, and the case was sent back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse. Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala arrives at court (Yuki Iwamura/AP) This time, a majority-female jury convicted the former studio boss of forcibly subjecting one woman to a criminal sex act in 2006. But jurors acquitted Weinstein of another criminal sex act charge from 2006. Advertisement And jurors were to continue deliberating on a charge that he raped another woman in 2013. Under New York law, the third-degree rape charge carries a lesser penalty than the first-degree criminal sex act offence. The jury in the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct case listens to a read back of testimony by a key witness (Elizabeth Williams via AP) Weinstein, 73, denies sexually assaulting or raping anyone. Jury deliberations had teetered on Wednesday as the foreperson again requested to speak to the judge about 'a situation' he found troubling. Advertisement The man, who complained on Monday that other jurors were pushing people to change their minds and talking about information beyond the charges, was being questioned in private, at his request. While the jury was in court to hear the answer to an earlier request to re-hear the text of a rape law, the foreperson signalled to Judge Curtis Farber that he wanted to talk. 'He said words to the effect of, 'I can't go back in there with the other jurors',' Judge Farber explained later. The foreperson was sent to wait in a separate room, where he penned a note saying: 'I need to talk to you about a situation.' Advertisement When briefly brought into court, the foreperson said he wanted to speak in private. He, the judge, prosecutors and Weinstein's lawyers then went behind closed doors. The discussion was closed to the press and public, but Farber later said the foreperson had expressed that he did not want to change his position – whatever it may be – and was being bullied. 'He did indicate that at least one other juror made comments to the effect of, 'I'll meet you outside one day', and there's yelling and screaming,' the judge said. Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala characterised the foreperson's concerns more severely, saying that the man had said he was concerned for his safety after his fellow panellist talked about meeting him outside and added, 'you don't know me'. Advertisement 'I don't think the court is protecting this juror. Period,' Mr Aidala said, going on to ask for a mistrial. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, however, said the foreperson had not seemed afraid or apprehensive, just 'stubborn'. 'He said he'd made up his mind, he didn't want to change it, and people were pressuring him to change it. That's what jury deliberations involve,' the prosecutor said. The episode was the latest sign of strain among the jurors. On Friday, one of them asked to be excused because he felt another member of the group was being treated unfairly. Weinstein's lawyers asked unsuccessfully for a mistrial then, and again after the foreperson expressed his concerns on Monday. The jury kept deliberating and went through Tuesday without sending any more messages about interpersonal tensions. The seven female and five male jurors started their fifth day of deliberations on Wednesday by re-hearing accuser Jessica Mann's testimony that he raped her in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013. The group wrapped up Tuesday's deliberations by asking to revisit that testimony. Some jurors appeared to take fresh notes on Wednesday, while others sat impassively as court stenographers read aloud the requested parts of Ms Mann's days-long testimony. The jury had already reheard some of the passages last week. Weinstein, 73, pleaded not guilty to raping Mann and to forcing oral sex on two other women, Mimi Haley and Kaja Sokola. The Oscar-winning producer and former Hollywood powerbroker maintains that he never sexually assaulted or raped anyone, and his lawyers portrayed his accusers as opportunists who accepted his advances because they wanted a leg up in the entertainment world.
