Harvey Weinstein Rape Retrial Begins In New York After Previous Jury Deadlock
The retrial of disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein on a third-degree rape charge has begun in New York, following a previous trial that ended in a hung jury. The latest proceedings commenced Tuesday, with jury selection underway as prosecutors seek to secure a conviction after earlier deliberations failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Weinstein is accused of raping Jessica Mann, an actress who appeared in the 2015 romantic comedy This Isn’t Funny. The alleged incident dates back to 2013 in a Manhattan hotel. The retrial focuses solely on the third-degree rape charge involving Mann, after a prior jury deadlocked on the count, forcing the court to declare a mistrial in June 2025. Despite the renewed legal battle, Weinstein will remain in prison regardless of the outcome, as he is already serving sentences tied to other sexual assault convictions in both New York and California. The case marks yet another chapter in the long-running legal saga that helped ignite the global #MeToo movement, with prosecutors arguing that Weinstein abused his influence in the entertainment industry, while the defence maintains that all encounters were consensual. Weinstein was previously convicted in 2020 on multiple sex crime charges, but that conviction was overturned in 2024 by a New York appeals court, which ruled that certain testimonies had been improperly admitted. A subsequent retrial in 2025 resulted in mixed outcomes, including a conviction on a separate sexual assault charge, but jurors were unable to agree on the rape allegation involving Mann, leading to the current retrial.
The ongoing case is being closely watched as a significant test of accountability in high-profile sexual misconduct prosecutions. Legal analysts say the outcome of the retrial could further shape public perception of the justice system’s handling of sexual assault cases involving powerful figures, even though Weinstein’s existing convictions ensure he remains behind bars
