Key facts
- New York prosecutors dropped a rape charge against Harvey Weinstein.
- The accuser, Jessica Mann, declined to testify again due to the emotional toll of multiple trials.
- Weinstein's third trial for the alleged rape of Mann ended in a mistrial in May.
- Weinstein denies the allegation and has pleaded not guilty.
- The dismissal does not affect Weinstein's other convictions for sex crimes in New York and California.
New York prosecutors have moved to drop a third-degree rape charge against Harvey Weinstein after the accuser, aspiring actress Jessica Mann, stated she did not want to testify again. This would have been a fourth trial for Weinstein related to sexual offense allegations. His third trial in New York state court over Mann's accusation of rape in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 ended in a mistrial in May. Weinstein, 74, has pleaded not guilty to the charge and denies assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex.
Mann, who accused Weinstein of raping her in a hotel room in 2013, told the court in a letter that she "could no longer endure going through this." She had given extensive testimony at three trials, one of which resulted in a conviction that was later overturned for reasons unrelated to her testimony, and two that ended in hung juries. Mann stated that she "gave my all" in the case, it "put me through more harm than good," and she wanted to close this chapter of her life. Prosecutors said they believed Mann and were confident in the case but would drop it due to her wishes and Weinstein's other convictions.
The dismissal of the Mann-related case does not affect Weinstein's convictions for other sex crimes in New York and California. Weinstein is currently appealing those verdicts. He was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting an Italian actor-model in Los Angeles and sexually assaulting Miriam Haley, a production assistant and producer, in New York. Weinstein is facing sentencing in September on the conviction tied to Haley, with prosecutors seeking a 20-year sentence. After any punishment in New York, he faces a 16-year sentence in California.