Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape by a jury that returned a mixed verdict
A jury convicted Weinstein of rape but acquitted him on a count of sexual battery by restraint. The jury said it was deadlocked on the other charges.
Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape in a Los Angeles trial on Monday after a jury deliberated for ten days. The 12-member jury, however, acquitted Weinstein of another sexual assault allegation connected to a second Jane Doe accuser and could not reach a consensus on three other counts in a divided result.
This trial relied on testimony from four women, all referred to in court as Jane Does, who accused Weinstein of raping or sexually assaulting them between 2004 and 2013. Four more people testified that they were assaulted, but their claims were dismissed. Prosecutors gathered 44 witnesses to testify in their case against the former movie mogul.
Weinstein was charged with two counts of rape and five other counts of sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges leveled against him. Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of conducting a criminal sexual act in first-degree and third-degree rape by a New York jury in February 2020. He filed an appeal, but the sentence was upheld by an appeals court in June.
The jury found Weinstein guilty of three counts against Jane Doe 1: forceful rape, forcible oral copulation, and penetration by a foreign object. He was found not guilty of sexual assault by constraint against Jane Doe 3. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on Weinstein’s claims of forced rape and forcible oral copulation against Jane Doe 4, who revealed herself as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and sexual battery by restraint against Jane Doe 2. Jurors voted to convict him eight to four on charges related to Jane Doe 4 and 10 to two on the charge related to Jane Doe 2.
Jurors — nine men and three women — started deliberating on Dec. 2. It reached a verdict on the tenth day of deliberations, after roughly 41 hours of considering the case. “I have been advised by my bailiff that you have reached verdicts on certain counts but have not been able to reach them on others,” said Los Angeles Superior Court Lisa Lench.
The judge asked jurors if further arguments or testimony read back could help them reach a judgment on the deadlocked charges. “I feel we will be unable to reach a verdict,” one juror responded.
On Tuesday, the jury will reconvene to hear arguments on aggravating factors. Weinstein is currently facing a maximum sentence of 18 years in jail, which may be increased to 24 years if the jury rules on those criteria.
Weinstein’s allegations stem from a time when he was at the pinnacle of his authority in Hollywood. Over his 40-year career, he helped launch the careers of several A-listers and award winners.
“The Weinstein verdict is a much-needed indicator of our commitment to justice and individual accountability,” said Anita Hill, chair of The Hollywood Commission, an organization dedicated to ending workplace harassment. “However, despite its high visibility and relevance, it is only one case. To make genuine progress toward safer and more equal workplaces, institutional policies and industry culture that condone abuse, discrimination, harassment, and bullying must be acknowledged.”