On June 11, 2025, a Manhattan jury delivered a landmark partial verdict in the retrial of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced former Hollywood mogul whose sexual misconduct allegations sparked the global #MeToo movement. After a week of intense deliberations, Weinstein, 73, was convicted of one top charge of forcibly subjecting Miriam Haley, a producer and production assistant, to a criminal sexual act in 2006. However, he was acquitted of a similar charge related to former model Kaja Sokola, and jurors remained deadlocked on a rape allegation involving hairstylist and actress Jessica Mann, with deliberations set to continue on June 12.
The retrial, held in the same Manhattan courthouse where Weinstein’s original 2020 conviction was overturned by New York’s highest court in April 2024, has reignited public attention on the complex legacy of a man once revered as one of Hollywood’s most powerful figures. Weinstein’s initial conviction had been a milestone for the #MeToo movement, which emerged in 2017 amid widespread revelations of sexual harassment and assault across industries. Yet the appeals court found that the original trial judge had allowed prejudicial testimony, prompting this high-stakes retrial with expanded charges, including new allegations from Sokola.
The proceedings were marked by tense moments both inside and outside the courtroom. Before the verdict, Weinstein himself made an unusual plea to the judge, declaring, “My life is on the line, and you know what? It’s not fair,” and urging for the trial to be halted. Meanwhile, the jury foreperson expressed feelings of intimidation and fear due to pressure from other jurors, describing being yelled at and threatened. Despite multiple requests from Weinstein’s lawyers for a mistrial, the judge denied these motions, and the jury pressed on.
Prosecutors portrayed Weinstein as a serial predator who used his immense influence to exploit women seeking career opportunities in Hollywood. During closing arguments, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office emphasized how Weinstein “produced, choreographed, and therefore directed their ultimate silence,” highlighting the power imbalance that enabled his alleged abuses. Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg told jurors, “He raped three women. They all said, ‘no.’” She argued that Weinstein deliberately chose victims he believed would stay silent, preying on their ambitions and fears of professional retaliation.
The three women at the heart of the trial—Haley, Sokola, and Mann—offered harrowing testimony over the six-week proceedings. Haley described meeting Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 and being forcibly subjected to oral sex at his New York apartment months later. She recounted the emotional toll of the trial, calling the process “exhausting and, at times, dehumanizing,” but expressed hope that the verdict would empower others to speak out and help dismantle myths about sexual violence.
Sokola, a Polish-born psychotherapist and former teenage model, testified for the first time in this retrial. She alleged that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel in 2006, just before her 20th birthday. She described the incident as “the most horrifying thing” she had experienced up to that point. Despite the trauma, Sokola maintained contact with Weinstein for years, underscoring the complicated dynamics faced by many survivors who navigate professional pressures and personal safety.
Mann’s testimony detailed a deeply fraught relationship with Weinstein that began professionally and became personal. She accused him of raping her in a New York hotel room in 2013 after refusing his advances. Mann spoke candidly about compartmentalizing the abuse to protect her aspirations in entertainment, even engaging in subsequent consensual encounters under duress. Her emotional courtroom moments, including pointing at Weinstein and recalling the assault, underscored the profound impact of the case.
Weinstein’s defense team, led by attorney Arthur L. Aidala, sought to undermine the accusers’ credibility by portraying the encounters as consensual and transactional, framing them as part of a “courting game” rather than crimes. Aidala accused prosecutors of “trying to police the bedroom” and painted Weinstein as the “original sinner” of the #MeToo era, unfairly targeted in a cultural reckoning. He suggested the women recast consensual encounters as criminal acts to seek settlements and public sympathy.
The defense also scrutinized the accusers’ motivations and their continued contact with Weinstein after the alleged assaults, suggesting this undermined their claims. Cross-examinations delved into personal diaries, civil settlements, and the nature of the relationships, with Weinstein’s team asserting that the women willingly engaged with Weinstein in hopes of advancing their careers. However, prosecutors countered that these dynamics reflected the power imbalance and coercive environment Weinstein fostered.
Weinstein, who has faced multiple health challenges during incarceration—including emergency heart surgery in September 2024—attended the retrial in a wheelchair and chose not to testify. His legal troubles extend beyond New York; in December 2022, he was convicted of rape in California and sentenced to 16 years in prison, a verdict he is currently appealing.
The retrial has drawn on testimony from more than two dozen witnesses, including friends of the accusers, hotel employees, and medical experts. Judge Curtis Farber presided over the proceedings, which have been closely watched as a test of the #MeToo movement’s enduring impact on accountability for sexual misconduct.
As the jury prepares to resume deliberations on the rape charge involving Mann, the case remains a stark reminder of the complexities involved in prosecuting sexual assault, especially when power, influence, and career ambitions intertwine. For the survivors, the verdict so far represents a partial victory and a step toward justice in a saga that has reshaped Hollywood and beyond.
Haley’s attorney, Gloria Allred, praised the verdict, calling her client “the shero of the Me Too movement” and applauding her courage. Haley herself thanked the jury for “seeing through the antics and nonsense” and expressed hope that the “myth of the ‘perfect victim’ is fading.”
Though Weinstein now faces a maximum sentence of up to 29 years in New York, the likelihood that he will spend the remainder of his life behind bars is high, given his California sentence. The retrial’s outcome underscores the ongoing reckoning with sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry and the broader societal commitment to confronting abuse of power.
