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New York prosecutors have decided to drop the unresolved rape charge against Harvey Weinstein. The move ends repeated retrial efforts in the #MeToo-era case, though he remains jailed on other convictions.
Newyork,UPDATED: Jun 25, 2026 20:16 IST
New York prosecutors have said they will drop a rape charge against Harvey Weinstein rather than put the former film producer on trial in the #MeToo-era case for a fourth time. The charge had remained unresolved after his earlier conviction was overturned and two later retrials ended with hung juries.
Weinstein remains in prison and still stands convicted on another sexual felony in New York and on separate charges in California. The Oscar-winning producer has denied all the allegations against him.
The dropped charge related to an allegation by hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann, who said Weinstein raped her in a Manhattan hotel in 2013. Mann has testified that she also had a consensual, on-and-off relationship with Weinstein, who was married at the time. But she told jurors she repeatedly tried to leave and said no to any sexual activity after he cornered her in the hotel room. She said he kept pressing her, demanded that she undress and grabbed her arms until she was afraid to continue protesting.
Weinstein was once one of the most influential figures in the film industry, producing titles including "Shakespeare in Love", "Pulp Fiction" and "Chocolat". In 2017, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him became public, helping drive the #MeToo movement and eventually leading to criminal charges.
He was convicted in 2020 of raping Mann, but an appeals court later overturned that verdict for reasons unrelated to her testimony. Jury deliberations then collapsed during a 2025 retrial, and jurors were again deadlocked at another retrial this spring. The latest proceedings took a visible toll on 40-year-old Mann, who spent five days on the stand and was questioned for the first time about a diary-like note she wrote two days after the alleged rape, without mentioning it in the note. At one stage, she told the court she was struggling to focus, leading to an early end to the day's hearing. During deliberations, the 74-year-old Weinstein also reported chest pains, prompting another early adjournment.
The rape charge was a low-level felony carrying a sentence of up to four years, less than the time Weinstein has already served. He still faces much longer sentences linked to the separate sex crime convictions in New York and Los Angeles. Weinstein did not testify in any of the trials, though he argued during and after the 2025 New York retrial that the process was unfair, a view the judge rejected. His lawyers have maintained that all his accusers had consensual sexual relationships with a studio boss who could help their careers. Weinstein has said he “acted wrongly, but I never assaulted anyone.” In sum, prosecutors have now chosen to drop the unresolved rape charge, while Weinstein remains behind bars on other convictions.
With PTI Inputs
- Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Jun 25, 2026 20:16 IST
