Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson confirmed that Los Angeles prosecutors would not pursue a retrial for Harvey Weinstein on the sexual assault charges that led to a hung jury in December. Weinstein, the disgraced film producer, received a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault charges for his 2013 encounter with an Italian model at the Mr. C. Hotel in Los Angeles, identified as Jane Doe 1 during the trial.
The jury was unable to come to a unanimous verdict regarding the charges against two of the accusers, identified as actress and screenwriter Lauren Young (Jane Doe 2) and Jennifer Siebel Newsom (Jane Doe 4), the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Consequently, a mistrial was declared. Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson revealed that Jane Doe 4 declined a retrial, submitting a statement to the judge to that effect. In contrast, Jane Doe 2 expressed disappointment with the decision to dismiss the remaining charges, said the report on NY Post.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson explained that if Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of sexual battery against Jane Doe 2, he would have faced an additional year in prison. However, this would have necessitated testimony from several of the same witnesses, including one who would have been testifying for the fourth time. Thompson acknowledged how difficult the decision was, given Jane Doe 2’s significant contribution to the case. The remaining charges were dismissed by Judge Lisa Lench, as confirmed by Thompson.
Elizabeth Fegan, the lawyer for Jennifer Siebel Newsom, stated that her client’s primary goal in coming forward was to ensure that Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to life imprisonment. Fegan added that had the court failed to hand down a suitable sentence, Siebel Newsom would have been willing to support prosecutors in a retrial, even though it would have been emotionally taxing. Harvey Weinstein’s spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, noted that the dismissal of charges is an important milestone in Weinstein’s appeal in LA.
According to Weinstein’s spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, there is sufficient evidence to back up Weinstein’s assertions that he never met or knew Jane Doe 1 and that the alleged incident never took place. Engelmayer further stated that a lie detector test taken by Weinstein in 2018 provided additional proof that he never coerced Jane Doe 1 into engaging in sexual acts with him.
Harvey Weinstein, the former film producer, revealed to The Post that he is reading legal literature to gain a better understanding of the law for his defense as he faces the daunting task of proving his innocence. Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer, Jacqueline Sparagna, informed The Post that Weinstein would be transferred back to New York soon enough. Weinstein was previously sentenced to 23 years in prison for committing rape and sexual assault in New York. The transfer will be a significant step in the legal proceedings against him and will undoubtedly have a profound impact on his future.
Photo: GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons