Hollywood’s once-mighty king Harvey Weinstein received his second felony sex crime conviction in New York, marking another hard-fought victory for survivors who dared to challenge the powerful producer despite his attempts to portray himself as the victim of a declining #MeToo movement.
Key Takeaways
- Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree related to Miriam “Mimi” Haley’s 2006 assault but acquitted on charges related to Kaja Sokola.
- The jury remains deadlocked on a third-degree rape charge involving Jessica Mann from 2013, with deliberations continuing.
- This conviction comes after Weinstein’s 2020 New York conviction was overturned in 2024 on procedural grounds, though he remains imprisoned for a separate 2022 California conviction.
- The retrial featured intense courtroom drama with jurors expressing fear and Weinstein claiming unfair treatment despite extensive accommodations for his health issues.
- The verdict represents both progress and ongoing challenges in Hollywood’s reckoning with sexual assault and power imbalances that began with 2017 exposés.
Weinstein Convicted Again: Partial Victory for #MeToo
The jury in Harvey Weinstein’s New York retrial delivered a split verdict that found the disgraced producer guilty of first-degree criminal sexual assault against former production assistant Miriam “Mimi” Haley. The conviction marks the second time Weinstein has been found guilty of sex crimes in New York, following his overturned 2020 conviction. The partial verdict acquitted him on charges related to Kaja Sokola while remaining deadlocked on accusations involving Jessica Mann, demonstrating the complex challenges sexual assault cases face in the criminal justice system.
The trial atmosphere reflected the high-stakes nature of the proceedings, with the jury of seven women and five men expressing unprecedented concerns about their safety. At one point, the jury foreperson told the judge, “I feel afraid inside there, I can’t be inside there,” while another juror stated, “In good conscience, I don’t think this is fair and just.” These statements highlight the intense pressure surrounding the case that has become a touchstone for Hollywood’s reckoning with sexual misconduct.
Courtroom Drama Reveals Weinstein’s Continued Defiance
Throughout the trial, Weinstein, now 72, appeared in court using a wheelchair and maintained his innocence while attempting to portray himself as a victim. Despite his claims of mistreatment, the court record shows he received significant accommodations for his health issues. In a bizarre statement before the court, Weinstein declared, “Seriously, I have been treated incredibly fairly,” contradicting his defense team’s repeated applications for mistrial, all of which were denied by the presiding judge.
“Seriously, I have been treated incredibly fairly,” said Harvey Weinstein, addressing the court in a statement that directly contradicted his legal team’s repeated complaints of unfair treatment.
Weinstein’s defense team employed familiar tactics, arguing that the women accusing him were motivated by fame and financial gain rather than justice. This strategy has become a standard playbook for powerful men facing similar accusations, but it failed to fully convince the jury in this case. Even as he faced his second conviction, Weinstein has continued giving interviews claiming the #MeToo movement is waning, showing his unwillingness to acknowledge the cultural shift his case helped initiate.
Harvey Weinstein has been convicted on one count of engaging in criminal sex but acquitted on the second in his sex crimes retrial in NY. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the rape count. Deliberations on that one count will resume Thursday. https://t.co/Jj6ENwxvND pic.twitter.com/4tBhT49Igl
— ABC News (@ABC) June 11, 2025
The Broader Impact: Hollywood’s Ongoing Reckoning
The case originated from the groundbreaking 2017 exposés published in The New York Times that detailed Weinstein’s decades-long pattern of alleged sexual misconduct and sparked the global #MeToo movement. While this conviction represents progress, the mixed verdict demonstrates that achieving justice remains difficult even in high-profile cases with multiple accusers. This reality underscores why many victims remain reluctant to come forward, particularly when facing powerful individuals with extensive resources to fight allegations.
“I feel afraid inside there, I can’t be inside there,” said the jury foreperson, revealing the intense pressure and stress experienced by those tasked with delivering justice in this high-profile case.
Weinstein’s legal troubles extend beyond New York. He was separately convicted of sex crimes in California in 2022 and sentenced to 16 years in prison, though he has appealed that verdict as well. Given his age and declining health, the former producer will likely spend his remaining years behind bars regardless of pending appeals. However, the true legacy of the Weinstein case lies not in his personal fate but in how it forced Hollywood and other industries to confront systemic power imbalances that enabled such abuse to flourish unchecked for decades.
