New York prosecutors said Thursday they will drop a rape charge against Harvey Weinstein, ending the possibility of a fourth trial on the count that has been at the center of the #MeToo-era case for years.
The charge, brought by hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann, had already been tried three times. The first trial resulted in a conviction that was later overturned on appeal. Two subsequent retrials ended with hung juries, most recently in May after a jury deadlocked. MSI previously reported that the May retrial ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. said in a statement that prosecutors decided to drop the case after discussions with Mann, who does not wish to go through the demands of another trial.
“To be clear, we believe Ms. Mann’s account and her credibility as a witness,” Bragg wrote.
The decision means Weinstein will not face another trial in New York on the Mann charge. He remains convicted of another sexual felony in New York and of raping an Italian actress in Los Angeles. Those convictions stand.
Weinstein, 73, has been imprisoned since 2020 on various sex crime convictions. The case has been a landmark proceeding of the #MeToo movement, spanning seven years and two states.