Los Angeles [US], March 4 (ANI): Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on the rape charge is set to commence on April 14.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, a 12-person jury in Manhattan found Weinstein guilty in June of one count of a criminal sexual act in the first degree against Haley and acquitted him on another count against former model Kaja Sokola.
The jury could not reach a verdict on the third count of rape, related to aspiring actress Jessica Mann. That charge ended in a mistrial as the jury foreperson refused to return to deliberate, saying he faced threats from other jurors.
Prosecutors reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing the rape charge, while Mann also expressed her support for a retrial. In recent weeks, Weinstein appeared to be weighing the possibility of entering a guilty plea, but no formal step has been taken. Jury selection for the retrial is scheduled to begin on April 14, with Weinstein’s newly appointed legal team set to lead his defence in court.
Weinstein swapped attorneys last week, bringing in Jacob Kaplan, who represents Luigi Mangione in his state murder case, as well as Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, both of whom recently defended Sean “Diddy” Combs in his sex trafficking and racketeering trial. Kaplan appeared in court Wednesday, with Agniflio and Geragos, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Arthur Aidala, his previous attorney, will stay on to work on an appeal of Weinstein’s guilty verdict in the June trial. Aidala said “serious errors” in the recent conviction will be looked at. He had previously asked the judge to dismiss on the grounds of juror intimidation but was denied.
The charge is rape in the third degree, which is a Class E felony in New York and carries a maximum prison sentence of four years. Weinstein was convicted on the charge in 2020, but that conviction was overturned in April 2024. (ANI)
