Here’s the latest. – The New York Times

Harvey Weinstein on Wednesday was convicted of a sex crime in Manhattan for the second time in a little more than five years, reaffirming his guilt in the eyes of New York’s legal system.

But a jury of 12 Manhattan residents acquitted Mr. Weinstein on another of the charges against him, and reached no decision on a third. The panel is expected to return on Thursday to continue deliberating the final charge.

In reaching the mixed verdict, the jury appeared to credit the testimony of one accuser, disbelieve the testimony of another and deadlock over that of a third. But the conviction on the single count alone makes it unlikely that the retrial will fundamentally change the public’s view of the disgraced movie producer.

Two of those accusers — Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann — had also testified against Mr. Weinstein in his first Manhattan trial. The third woman, Kaja Sokola, did not testify at the first trial and was added to the case last year.

The verdict suggested that the jury found Ms. Haley’s testimony about having been forcibly assaulted by Mr. Weinstein credible and convicted him of a first-degree criminal sexual act.

But they were less convinced of Ms. Sokola’s testimony about similar behavior and acquitted him on another count of that charge. They have yet to reach a decision about Ms. Mann’s account of having been attacked in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013, for which Mr. Weinstein is charged with third-degree rape, the least serious of the charges he faced.

The deliberations have been contentious since they began last week, with jurors often at loggerheads and occasionally complaining to the judge.

Shortly before the verdict was announced on Wednesday, it was disclosed to the courtroom that the jurors had been “yelling and screaming” at each other, and that one had told another, “I will see you outside.”

Mr. Weinstein, 73, was convicted in Manhattan of criminal sexual act and rape in 2020 but was retried this spring after the initial verdict was overturned by the state’s highest court. In a 4-to-3 decision, the Court of Appeals ruled last year that the trial judge should not have allowed the testimony of women who had accused Mr. Weinstein of sexual assaults that did not lead to charges.

Soon after that ruling, the Manhattan district attorney’s office, led by Alvin L. Bragg, decided to move forward with a new case against Mr. Weinstein, adding another charge of first-degree criminal sexual act in September. The conviction represents a significant victory for Mr. Bragg, who is running for re-election this year.

The retrial began in mid-April and included the testimony of nearly 30 witnesses, including the three accusers around whom prosecutors have built the case.

“I hope it is finally over,” Ms. Haley said as she reflected on having to testify about a traumatic experience before a jury not once, but two times. “It’s just a relief all around.”

Here’s what else to know:

  • Three accusers: Mr. Weinstein was charged with two counts of criminal sexual act related to accusations by Ms. Haley and Ms. Sokola that he forced them into oral sex in 2006. Ms. Haley, a former production assistant, and Ms. Sokola, a former model, said they had met Mr. Weinstein as they were hoping to get their footing in the film and television industries. Ms. Mann, who said she had entered a complicated relationship with Mr. Weinstein that was at times consensual, said he raped her in a hotel room in March 2013.

  • Differences from first trial: The biggest difference between the two trials is that additional women, beyond those Mr. Weinstein has been charged with attacking, were not allowed to testify this time. In 2020, the judge allowed prosecutors to call several women as witnesses to show a pattern of prior bad acts. Those women told the jurors about episodes when they said Mr. Weinstein sexually assaulted them even though their accusations never led to charges.

  • What happens after the verdict? After his 2020 trial, Mr. Weinstein was convicted in California in a separate sex-crimes case. He faces a prison term of 16 years there. Last August, the Queens district attorney, whose office handles rearrests from Rikers Island, said Mr. Weinstein will be returned to California following his New York case. “He will serve the California sentence first, as it is now his primary sentence,” said Melinda Katz, the Queens district attorney.

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