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Prosecutors Drop Unresolved Rape Charge Against Harvey Weinstein

Manhattan prosecutors said Jessica Mann chose not to undergo another trial, and they concluded dismissal was the appropriate course.

Overview

  • Prosecutors announced Thursday that they will not pursue a fourth New York trial over Jessica Mann’s 2013 rape allegation after an appeals court overturned a 2020 conviction and two retrials ended in hung juries.
  • Mann submitted a written note saying she would not endure another trial and a prosecutor told the court that her decision and the visible toll of repeated testimony led to the dismissal.
  • Weinstein remains convicted on separate sexual-felony charges in New York and in California and is currently serving time in custody for those convictions.
  • The dropped charge was a lower-level felony that carried a maximum sentence of about four years, which is less than the time Weinstein has already served, and his lawyers continue to say encounters were consensual.
  • The case helped catalyze the #MeToo movement and the decision underscores the personal cost for survivors who testify repeatedly and highlights prosecutors’ discretion about when further trials are appropriate.