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WARNING: This article contains details of abuse and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
Harvey Weinstein avoided a fourth trial on a New York rape charge after his accuser said she could not endure testifying again, leading prosecutors to drop the #MeToo-era case on Thursday.
The movie mogul still stands convicted of another sexual felony in New York and others in California, and he remains behind bars. But the New York rape charge had remained unresolved after an overturned conviction followed by two hung juries. The judge formally dismissed the charge Thursday.
Weinstein had a neutral expression as court officers led him out of court in his wheelchair. The Oscar-winning producer denies all the accusations.
The rape charge concerned an allegation that he raped hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel in 2013. Mann has testified that she also had a consensual, on-and-off relationship with Weinstein, who was married at the time.
But she told jurors she repeatedly tried to leave and said no to any sexual activity as he cornered her in the hotel room. She said he persevered, demanding that she undress and grabbing her arms, until she was afraid to keep protesting.
“After a lot of thought and reflection, I have chosen not to proceed with a fourth trial against Harvey Weinstein,” Mann wrote in a letter that a prosecutor read to the court. “It was clear to me at this last trial I could no longer endure going through this any longer.”
The trial took a visible toll on Mann, 40, who testified for five days and was questioned for the first time about a diary-like, soul-baring note she wrote two days after the alleged rape, which the note did not mention. At one point during her testimony, Mann said she was struggling to focus, prompting court to wrap up early for the day.
Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said Thursday that prosecutors believe Mann and hail her “bravery, strength, courage and inspiration” to other survivors, but given her feelings about proceeding, “dismissal is appropriate.”
The 74-year-old Weinstein, meanwhile, reported chest pains during jury deliberations in the most recent trial, spurring another early end to court.
“The interests of justice would have never been to bring this case at all,” defence lawyer Jacob Kaplan said.
Weinstein’s downfall
Weinstein was one of the movie industry’s most powerful figures, a producer of such tastemakers and hits as Shakespeare in Love, Pulp Fiction and Chocolat.
Then a series of sexual assault allegations against him became public in 2017, fueling the #MeToo campaign for accountability and eventually leading to criminal charges.
Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of raping Mann. Then an appeals court overturned that verdict for reasons unrelated to her testimony. Jury deliberations broke down at a 2025 retrial, and jurors deadlocked again at another retrial this spring.
The rape charge in this case was a low-level felony punishable by up to four years in prison — less time than Weinstein already has served. He faces considerably longer sentences on his other, separate convictions in New York and California, including raping an Italian actress in Los Angeles.
Weinstein didn’t testify at any of the trials, though he complained during and after the 2025 New York retrial that it was unfair; the judge disagreed.
His lawyers have maintained that all his accusers, who were trying to go places in show business, had completely consensual sexual liaisons with a movie studio boss who could help them. Weinstein himself has said he “acted wrongly, but I never assaulted anyone.”
The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they choose to be named, as Mann has done.
If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. For support in your area, you can look for crisis lines and local services via the Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada database.
