Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr. responded to the conclusion of Harvey Weinstein‘s rape retrial in New York Thursday, praising the women who testified in court against the disgraced movie producer and apologizing to accuser Kaja Sokola.
On Wednesday, Weinstein was found guilty by a New York State Supreme Court jury of one count of first-degree sexual assault and acquitted on a second. Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber was, however, forced to declare a mistrial on the charge of third-degree rape against Weinstein after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on the charge in question on Thursday.
The trial’s jury foreperson reportedly refused to engage in any further deliberations after receiving threats from other jurors.
In his statement on Thursday, Bragg noted that — after conferring with Jessica Mann, the once-aspiring actress who accused Weinstein of raping her in 2013 — the prosecution immediately informed the court they are ready to go to trial again on the mistrial charge. Bragg also apologized to Sokola, the former model whose accusation formed the basis of the charge that Weinstein was acquitted of.
“I want to say to Ms. Sokola, I am deeply sorry that that was the result. I thank you for your bravery. I thank you for coming forward. Without the courage of survivors like you, prosecutors like us cannot pursue accountability and justice,” Bragg said.
“This is a case about an immense power imbalance. Harvey Weinstein was a wealthy Hollywood gatekeeper, a titan of movies and television for decades. These hopeful, young women were trying to follow their dreams in a world that he controlled,” the district attorney added.
Bragg reinforced how important it is that cases like Weinstein’s help correct common misconceptions about rape, including that it can not happen between acquaintances and romantic partners, before and after consensual sex and years before a survivor is ready to report it.
“We know it takes immense courage to come forward. And as was clear to everyone in that court room for the past several weeks, it takes immense courage to get on the stand and testify,” Bragg observed. “Miriam Haley, Jessica Mann and Kaja Sokola each spent days on the witness stand, sharing the most traumatic moments of their lives in a room full of strangers.”
“Their credibility and character were attacked during lengthy cross-examinations. They were accused of being money hungry. They were called liars. They were even told that they, in fact, were the abusers,” he continued. “But they stood their ground. And for that I am extraordinarily grateful.”
Bragg additionally saluted the trial’s prosecution team for their work on the case and thanked both the Manhattan court where the retrial was held for ensuring a fair trial and the jury members who took part in the process. “Most of all,” Bragg concluded, “I want to thank the survivors who made immense sacrifices in the name of justice.”
It remains to be seen how the mistrial charge is handled by the court. For now, in addition to the first-degree sexual assault verdict he was hit with Wednesday, Weinstein is still facing a 16-year prison sentence in California, where he is found guilty of sexual assault and rape by a jury in 2022. That verdict is currently under appeal.
