Jurors have begun deliberating in Harvey Weinstein's rape retrial in New York, weighing the unresolved charge that epitomised the #MeToo movement. The jury must decide whether the former movie mogul raped hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel on 18 March 2013.
Mann, 40, testified that she had a consensual relationship with Weinstein but that he subjected her to unwanted sex that day after she repeatedly said no. Weinstein's lawyers have maintained the encounter was consensual, highlighting that Mann continued seeing him afterwards and expressed warmth towards him. Mann said she was 'normalising everything' and had complicated feelings about the incident.
Weinstein, 74, has said he 'acted wrongly' but never assaulted anyone. The case stems from accusations that propelled the #MeToo movement in 2017. An appeals court overturned his 2020 New York conviction involving Mann and another accuser, leading to a retrial last year where jurors failed to reach a verdict on Mann's charge. This second retrial focuses on a single count of third-degree rape.
The jury heard nearly three weeks of testimony, including five days from Mann. Weinstein chose not to testify. The Associated Press generally does not identify sexual assault accusers, but Mann has agreed to be named.
