Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault retrial isn’t over after Wednesday’s partial verdict came back split — but his team is confident the former producer may be back home sooner than anyone anticipated.
“We take the wins where we get them — and the acquittal on the Sokola charge was a major one. A conviction there would have reset the sentencing clock entirely,” his spokesperson told TheWrap on Thursday. “As it stands, with a conviction only on the Haley count, time served applies and that clock is already running. There is no verdict yet on the Mann charge.”
Indeed, a New York jury found Weinstein guilty on one charge of first-degree sexual assault against a former “Project Runway” production assistant, but acquitted him on a second charge of sexually assaulting a model in 2006. The jury has been ordered to continue deliberating on a third lesser charge of third-degree rape after they could not reach a unanimous verdict.
“This trial has raised substantial appellate issues — and Harvey would welcome the opportunity to have those fully reviewed. It is the Court and the prosecution who now have every incentive to avoid seeing this case overturned on appeal,” his team continued. “That reality creates an opening for a fair and balanced sentencing outcome — one that serves the interests of justice, and gives Harvey a path to come home much sooner than many expected.”
Weinstein himself addressed the court following the partial verdict, saying, “My life is on the line, and you know what? It’s not fair … It’s time, it’s time, it’s time, it’s time to say this trial is over.”
Jessica Mann also released a statement as her accusations of a 2013 rape remain under consideration by the jury of seven women and five men.
“I would never lie about rape or use something so traumatic to hurt someone,” she said. “Rape can happen in relationships – and in dynamics where power and manipulation control the narrative. Some victims survive by appeasing, and many carry deep empathy, even for their abusers. That’s part of the trap.”
“I waived liability because I only ask for accountability,” Mann added. “Even in my dynamic with Harvey – the lack of a ‘seductress’ is under-discussed and the evidence that usually follows a person with those intentions. The smear campaign built around me is hollow. The evidence doesn’t exist because the propaganda isn’t real.”
She further noted that Weinstein “hides behind PR firms, lawyers, spy agencies contracted to intimidate,” while she can only speak for herself.
“Abusers pre-select their victims – not just for vulnerability, but for how easily the world is ready to discredit them. For how ‘believable’ their destruction will be,” Mann concluded. “They pick people society already doubts. People they think no one will miss. Then, when the damage is done, they bury the crime in the wreckage, point to the chaos, and say, See? It’s her.”
Kaja Sokola also addressed reporters outside the courthouse, saying, “I’m proud of the other two girls, the other two women who testified. It was an extremely difficult journey for all of us to relive our traumas and to go through it in open court. It’s a big win for everyone. Harvey Weinstein will be in jail.”
Weinstein remains on the hook for a 16-year sentence in California, where he was convicted in December 2022. That verdict is under an appeal of the same nature that got his 2022 New York conviction thrown out due to improper testimony from women who said they were assaulted, but whose accusations were not formally charged. He has long denied any wrongdoing, admitting that having sex with aspiring actresses amounted to cheating on his wife, not assault.
