Rape case against Harvey Weinstein dropped after accuser refuses to testify a fourth time

Jessica Mann, who accused former film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, has withdrawn from the case. She cannot bear to testify for a fourth time.

Rape case against Harvey Weinstein dropped after accuser refuses to testify a fourth time

The rape case against former film producer Harvey Weinstein in New York has been dropped after his accuser, Jessica Mann, decided she could no longer participate. According to HBVL, prosecutors acknowledged that without Mann's testimony, there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

Mann first reported the alleged assault in 2013, claiming Weinstein had raped her in a hotel room. She has already testified three times in court. Weinstein was convicted of raping Mann and sexually assaulting another woman, Miriam Haley, in 2020. However, that conviction was later overturned on appeal.

The case was retried last year, but the jury failed to reach a verdict regarding Mann's allegations. A third trial followed in May, again ending without a conviction.

Each time, Mann had to mentally prepare herself to recount the traumatic events in open court. Prosecutors consulted with her and agreed not to force a fourth trial. The repeated requirement to deliver such devastating testimony became too heavy a burden for her to carry.

Weinstein remains in prison. He was separately found guilty of sexually assaulting Miriam Haley, a former production assistant.

Source: Het Belang van Limburg