New York prosecutors have dropped the remaining third-degree rape charge against Harvey Weinstein after two separate juries failed to reach a unanimous verdict, bringing an end to one of the longest-running criminal cases stemming from the disgraced movie mogul's downfall.
According to Variety, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, June 25, that it will not pursue a fourth trial involving Jessica Mann, whose allegation that Weinstein raped her in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 resulted in two mistrials. Prosecutors said the decision came after Mann informed them that she no longer wished to testify.
"To be clear, we believe Ms. Mann's account and her credibility as a witness," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. "This has been an extraordinarily taxing ordeal for her, and she has never wavered while testifying in front of two grand juries and three trial juries over the course of eight years. We thank her for her honesty and her tremendous bravery."
Mann also released a statement explaining why she chose not to return to the witness stand.
"In my fight to see justice, it has nearly stolen a decade of my life and put me through more harm than good," she wrote. "Justice now has moved away from the courts, solely into the hands of God."
The dismissal closes the chapter on one of the two New York convictions that originally sent Weinstein to prison in 2020. While New York's highest court overturned those convictions in 2024 because of procedural issues unrelated to Mann's testimony, Weinstein was convicted again last year of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley. Prosecutors said they will ask Judge Curtis Farber to sentence Weinstein to 20 years in prison on that conviction.
Weinstein's attorneys had argued throughout the retrials that his relationship with Mann was consensual. During the latest proceedings, defense lawyers pointed to years of friendly emails and text messages, along with a journal-like note Mann wrote days after the alleged rape in which she reflected on becoming "emotionally attached" to an unnamed man and wanting a loving relationship.
Mann acknowledged she had an on-and-off consensual sexual relationship with Weinstein but testified that it later "degenerated into rape."
On the stand, Mann described feeling emotionally conflicted at the time. "I know that I was struggling with some of the decisions I was making that were different than what I was raised with," she testified, adding there was "a lot going on at this time in my life." She also said she was "feeling very controlled."
Outside the courtroom, Weinstein has continued to deny ever sexually assaulting anyone. In his recent interview from Rikers Island, he admitted to being "pushy" and "overly seductive" but maintained, "I did not assault them. That is the big lie of all of this." He also insisted, "I will be proven innocent. That I promise you."
Following the announcement, Weinstein spokesman Juda Engelmayer welcomed the decision.
"Harvey is relieved by today's outcome," Engelmayer said. "We believe this is the result that should have been reached from the outset, had the grand jury been presented with the full scope of the emails, text messages and other private communications."
Weinstein, now 74, has remained behind bars since his original 2020 conviction. Even with the Manhattan rape charge now dismissed, he remains convicted in New York for sexually assaulting Haley and is also serving a separate 16-year prison sentence stemming from his rape conviction in Los Angeles.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, help is available. Contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org for free, confidential, 24/7 support.
