Judge Oversees Third Weinstein Trial After Conviction Overturned, Jury Split
Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial has opened in New York, marking the third time jurors are being asked to decide the same allegation tied to the #MeToo movement.
The repeated trials are exposing a deeper tension: whether one of the movement’s most defining cases can still deliver a clear verdict nearly a decade later.
According to the Associated Press, opening statements began Tuesday in Manhattan, where Weinstein is accused of raping Jessica Mann in a hotel in 2013. He has pleaded not guilty and denies any non-consensual encounters.
This case has already moved through multiple outcomes. A 2020 conviction was overturned, and a 2025 retrial ended in a deadlocked jury on the rape charge, forcing prosecutors to try again.
Prosecutors say Weinstein used industry power to exploit women, while his defense argues the relationships were consensual and motivated by career ambitions.
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“We will show he used his power to take what he wanted,” Assistant District Attorney Candace White said.
The stakes extend beyond a single verdict. The case remains a benchmark for how courts handle allegations tied to power dynamics, especially as the #MeToo movement has shifted from peak visibility to a more fragmented legal phase.
Weinstein, already serving a 16-year California sentence, could face up to 25 more years if convicted in New York.
The trial is expected to last several weeks, with testimony from Mann likely to be central.
The outcome may redefine how one of the most high-profile #MeToo cases is ultimately remembered.
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