NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein returns to court Thursday, eager to get his last conviction for sexual offenses he was thrown out as anger and fears flared among jurors during deliberations last spring.
It's the latest twisted twist in the former Hollywood boss's journey through the criminal justice system. His landmark case of the #MeToo era lasted seven years, with trials in two states. reversal in the same and repeated proceedings, which came to a dirty end in New York last year. Weinstein was found guilty of forcibly performing oral sex on one woman, acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on another, and a jury failed to reach a verdict on a rape charge involving a third woman – a charge that prosecutors have vowed to look at again.
Weinstein, 73, denies all charges. They were part of a series of allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault against him that came to light in 2017 and subsequent years. fueling the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. Early, Weinstein apologized for “the way I behaved with colleagues in the past” and also denies he ever had non-consensual sex.
At trial, Weinstein's lawyers argued that the women willingly accepted his advances in hopes of landing jobs in various show business jobs, then falsely accused him of seeking settlement money and attention.
The split verdict last June came after several jurors took the unusual step of asking to brief the judge about behind-the-scenes tensions.
In a series of conversations, some in open court, one juror complained that others were “avoiding” one of the commission members; foreman hinted that jurors were “pushing people” verbally and talking about Weinstein's “past” in a way that the jury found indecent; however, the third juror opined that deliberations were “going well.” The petty officer later came forward again to complain to the judge that he had been pressured to change his mind, and then said he feared for his safety because another panelist said he would “see me outside.” Ultimately, the manager refused to continue the discussion.
In court, Judge Curtis Farber cited the secrecy of ongoing discussions and reminded jurors not to reveal the “content or meaning” of them. After the trial, Weinstein's lawyers spoke with the first juror who openly complained and another who did not.
They said in sworn statements that they did not believe Weinstein was guilty, but gave up due to verbal aggression from other jurors.
One said that after a fellow juror insulted her intelligence and suggested the judge should remove her, she was so scared that she called two relatives that evening and “told them to come look for me if they didn't hear from me because something was wrong with this jury deliberation process.” The identities of all jurors have been redacted in court documents.
Weinstein's lawyers argue that the tension boiled down to threats that poisoned the trial, and that the judge did not sufficiently examine them before rejecting the defense's repeated requests for a mistrial. Weinstein's lawyers are asking him to overturn his conviction or at least hold a hearing over jury tension.
Prosecutors claim that the judge had been confronted with complaints about “scattered instances of controversial interactions” and had responded to them accordingly. Later juror testimony under oath is contradicted by other comments from one of the same jury members, prosecutors said. Immediately after the trial, he told the media that there was “just a lot of tension” in the group.
Prosecutors also said the executive's concerns about discussing Weinstein's past were vague and the topic was not completely off-limits. The testimony covered, for example, media reports in 2017 about decades of sexual misconduct allegations against him.
The judge is expected to respond on Thursday. He could vacate the sentence, schedule a hearing, or uphold the sentence without further action. Anything he decides can be appealed.
Meanwhile, prosecutors They said they were ready to try again Weinstein on rape charges that a jury failed to accept last spring. He is currently in custody in New York and is appealing his rape case. conviction in Los Angeles.
