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Callaroga Shark Media. Welcome to a special Sunday edition of
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Did He Do It? And I'm Garrett Fisher, taking a
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break from my coverage of the Sean Diddy Combs trial
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this Sunday morning. The courts are closed, but justice never sleeps,
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and neither do we. While we've been laser focused on
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the bombshell testimony coming out of the Ditty trial here
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in Manhattan, there's another landmark case that just took a
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stunning new twist, the Harvey Weinstein retrial. I was planning
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to cover Wednesday's split verdict, but breaking news just hit.
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Harvey Weinstein's rape charge ended in a mistrial on Thursday
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after the jury for person said he felt threatened by
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other jurors. This is an unprecedented turn in what was
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already one of the most dramatic retrials in Me too history.
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I'm reporting from outside the same Manhattan Federal Courthouse where
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both trials have captivated the nation, and today I want
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to take you through the twists, turns, and ultimate resolution
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of a case that helped birth the Me Too movement
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and continues to redefine how we think about power abuse
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and accountability in America. Let me take you back to
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October twenty seventeen, when The New York Times and The
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New Yorker dropped what can only be described as nuclear
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bombs on Hollywood. Jody Canter, Megan two Hay, and Ronan
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Farrow published meticulously reported expose's that detailed decades of sexual
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harassment and assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein, the Oscar winning
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producer behind hits like Shakespeare in Love, Pulp Fiction, and
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The English Patient. The allegations weren't just shocking, they were systematic.
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More than eighty women eventually came forward, describing a pattern
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of abuse that spanned decades. The stories painted a picture
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of a man who used his immense power in Hollywood
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as a weapon, aspiring actresses and industry professionals into hotel
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rooms and private meetings where he allegedly committed sexual assault.
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These revelations didn't just destroy Weinstein's career, they ignited a
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cultural wildfire. Within days, the hashtag me too exploded across
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social media as women around the world shared their own
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stories of sexual harassment and assault. What started as allegations
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against one powerful man became a global reckoning, with sexual
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misconduct in workplaces everywhere Weinstein was expelled from the Academy
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of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fired from his own company,
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and became a pariah overnight. But the criminal justice system
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moves slower than the court of public opinion, and it
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would take years for the legal reckoning to arrive. In
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February twenty twenty, after months of intense media coverage and
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legal maneuvering, Harvey Weinstein stood trial in Manhattan Supreme Court.
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The case was historic, the first major prosecutions of a
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powerful figure in the me Too era. The prosecution built
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their case around the testimony of six women, but the
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actual charges focused on two key accusers, Miriam Mimi Hailey,
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a former production assistant on Project Runway, and Jessica Mann,
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an aspiring actress. Hailey alleged that Weinstein forcibly performed oral
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sex on her at his Soho apartment in two thousand
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and six. Man testified that Weinstein raped her in a
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Manhattan hotel room in twenty thirteen. The trial was a
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media circus. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse daily, some chanting
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rapist as Weinstein arrived in his wheelchair inside the courtroom.
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The testimony was graphic, emotional, and devastating. Hailey described how
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Weinstein threw her onto a bed and forced himself on
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her despite her protests. Man recounted feeling trapped by a
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man she had once seen as a father figure in
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the industry. The defense, led by attorney Donna Rotono, tried
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to paint the accusers as opportunistic women who had willingly
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engaged with Weinstein for career advancement and were now reframing
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consensual encounters as crimes. They highlighted the continued contact some
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accusers had with Weinstein after the alleged assaults, including friendly
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emails and meetings. On February twenty fourth, twenty twenty, after
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five days of deliberations, the jury reached their verdict guilty
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on two counts, third degree rape of Jessica Man and
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first degree criminal sexual act against Miriam Haley. Weinstein was
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acquitted on the two most serious charges of predatory sexual
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assault and first degree rape. The conviction was hailed as
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a watershed moment for the me to movement. Weinstein was
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sentenced to twenty three years in prison, effectively a life
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sentence for the then sixty seven year old. For many,
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it felt like justice had finally been served. But the
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story was far from over. Weinstein's attorneys immediately appealed the conviction,
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and in April twenty twenty four, New York's highest court
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delivered a stunning blow to the prosecution and me too
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advocates everywhere. In a bitterly divided four to three decision,
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the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's conviction and
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ordered a new trial. The court ruled that the trial
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judge James Burke, had made egregious errors by allowing testimony
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from women whose allegations weren't part of the charges against Weinstein,
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so called prior bad acts witnesses. The majority opinion, written
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by Judge Jenny Rivera, stated that this testimony served no material,
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non propensity purpose and essentially put Weinstein on trial for
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his character rather than the specific charges. The court also
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criticized Burke's ruling that prosecutors could question Weinstein about his
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history of bullying and verbal abuse if he chose to testify,
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a decision that may have influenced his choice not to
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take the stand. The dissenting judges were scathing in their
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criticism of the majority, with one writing that the decision
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continued a disturbing trend of overturning jury verdicts in sexual
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violence cases. Ashley Judd, one of Weinstein's most prominent accusers,
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called the reversal an act of institutional betrayal. Manhattan District
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Attorney Alvin Bragg immediately announced his intention to retry the case,
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but the reversal was nonetheless a devastating blow to me
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too advocates, who saw it as a step backward in
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holding powerful men accountable. The retrial that began in April
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twenty twenty five took place in a dramatically different cultural
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and political moment than the original twenty twenty trial. The
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Me Too movement, while still alive, had evolved and in
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many ways ebbed from its peak intensity. The daily protests
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outside the courthouse were notably absent, and the media coverage,
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while significant, lacked the fever pitch of the original trial.
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This time, Weinstein faced charges involving three women, the same
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two for the original trial, Mimi Hailey and Jessica Man,
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plus a new accuser, Kaja Socola, a former model whose
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allegations of assault in two thousand and six had been
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added to the retrial. Socola, now a Polish psychotherapist, alleged
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that Weinstein lured her to a hotel room when she
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was just nineteen years old, promising to show her a
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film script, and then forced oral sex on her. The prosecution,
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unable to use the prior bad acts witnesses that had
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been central to their first case, focused intensely on the
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three core accusers. The testimony was no less emotional or
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graphic than in the first trial. Hailey again described being
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thrown onto Weinstein's bed and assaulted. Mann recounted the hotel
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room rape. Socola, in her first time testifying against Weinstein,
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told the jury how she pleaded please don't, please stop.
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I don't want this as Weinstein attacked her. The defense,
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led by Arthur Dala, employed a similar strategy to the
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first trial, portraying the accusers as conniving and sophisticated women
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who falsely accused Weinstein for fame and money. They emphasized
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that all three women had received substantial civil settlements and
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argued that the encounters were consensual. This time, Weinstein faced
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charges involving three women, the same two from the original trial,
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Mimi Hailey and Jessica Mann, plus a new accuser, Kaya Socola,
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A former model whose allegations of assault in two thousand
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and six had been added to the retrial. Socola alleged
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that Weinstein lured her to a hotel room when she
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was just nineteen years old, promising to show her a
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film script, and then forced oral sex on her. The prosecution,
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unable to use the prior bad acts witnesses that had
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been central to their first case, focused intensely on the
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three core accusers. The testimony was no less emotional or
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graphic than in the first trial. Hailey again described being
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thrown onto Weinstein's bed and assaulted, man recounted the hotel
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room rape. Socola, in her first time testifying against Weinstein,
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told the jury how she pleaded please don't, please stop.
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I don't want this as Weinstein attacked her. The defense,
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led by Arthur Adela, employed a similar strategy to the
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first trial, portraying the accusers as conniving and sophisticated women
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who falsely accused Weinstein for fame and money. They emphasized
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that all three women had received substantial civil settlements and
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argued that the encounters were consensual. Weinstein's defense attorney, Arthur Idalla,
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was incensed by the situation. If you're a deliberating juror,
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you have to be punched in the face in order
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for it to rise to the level of a real threat.
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Aidala said Thursday, it's insane in the membrane, insane on
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the brain. This wasn't the first sign of trouble among
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the jurors. Earlier in the week, the four person had
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complained that other jurors were considering elements from Weinstein's past
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that weren't submitted as evidence in this particular trial. Another
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juror had asked to be excused entirely, saying he'd heard
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jurors talking about other jurors in the elevators and the
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process wasn't fair. On Wednesday, June eleventh, twenty twenty five,
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after days of apparently tense deliberations, the jury returned with
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a split verdict that reflected the complexity and difficulty of
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these cases. Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of one count
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of criminal Sexual act in the first degree for his
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assault of Miriam Hayley, the same charge from his original conviction.
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The jury acquitted him of the criminal sexual act charge
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involving Kadja Scola, and they were unable to reach a
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unanimous verdict on the third degree rape charge involving Jessica Man.
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But what happened next was unprecedented. The tensions that had
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been simmering in the jury room for days finally boiled
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over on Wednesday afternoon, after the partial verdict was announced,
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jurors were sent home amid reports of fighting in the
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jury room. The fourth person had asked to speak privately
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with Judge Curtis Farber, and what he revealed was shocking.
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I feel afraid inside there. I can't be inside there,
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the four person told the judge and attorneys. According to
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court transcripts, he explained that other jurors were pressuring him
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to change his decision, with one allegedly saying, oh, we
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will see you outside when he refused to budge. When
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asked if he would return to deliberations on Thursday, he
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flatly refused. The situation was so volatile that Weinstein himself
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made an unusual request to address the court directly. This
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is not right for me, the person who is on
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trial here, Weinstein declared, this is my life that's on
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the line, and you know what, it's not fair. It's simple,
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It's just not fair. He begged the judge to declare
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a mistrial on the remaining charge. When Judge Farber spoke
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to the other jurors on Thursday, they claimed they don't
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understand why the four person bowed out, but the damage
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was done. The judge declared a mistrial on the Jessica
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Man rape charge, and prosecutors immediately announced they would retry
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that count on July second. Outside the courthouse, the reactions
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were mixed but emotional. Hailey, speaking to reporters, said she
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was grateful to the jury for the conviction and expressed
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hope that the verdict would help dispel the myth of
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the perfect victim. She described testifying as exhausting and at
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times dehumanizing, but said the verdict gave her hope for
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increased awareness around sexual violence. Socola, despite the acquittal on
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her charge, said she was relieved by the overall verdict
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and that her truth had been heard. Her attorney noted
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that while Socola may not have received the verdict she deserved,
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her testimony had helped bring down a man who believed
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he was untouchable. Jessica Mann, through her attorneys, expressed readiness
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to testify again at the July ree trial. Man is
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ready and willing and wants to retry this count. Prosecutors
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announced the single conviction could carry a maximum sentence of
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twenty five years, effectively keeping the seventy three year old
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Weinstein behind bars for the rest of his life. He
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remains in prison at Riker's Island in New York, also
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serving a sixteen year sentence from a separate twenty twenty
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two conviction in Los Angeles for rape and sexual assault charges. There.
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As I stand here outside the Manhattan Court House, where
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so much legal history has been made, it's impossible not
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to reflect on what the Weinstein case, both the original
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trial and this retrial means for the broader fight for
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accountability and justice. On one hand, the conviction represents a
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validation of the Albert me Too movement's core principle that
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powerful men can and will be held accountable for sexual abuse,
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regardless of their status or influence. The fact that prosecutors
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chose to retry the case after the appeal, and that
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another jury convicted Weinstein sends a clear message that the system,
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while imperfect, can deliver justice. But the legal technicalities that
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led to the overturned conviction and the split verdict in
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the retrial also highlight the ongoing challenges in prosecuting sexual
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assault cases. The rules of evidence that prohibited prior bad
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acts witnesses in the retrial, while designed to ensure fair trials,
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can make it harder for prosecutors to demonstrate patterns of
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abuse that victims and advocates say are central to understanding
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how predators operate. The cultural moment has also shifted. While
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the Me Too movement remains influential, the movement has evolved
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from its explosive beginnings. The daily protests and intense media
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coverage that characterized the original trial were largely absent from
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the retrial. Some advocates worry about Me too fatigue and
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whether society has the sustained attention span necessary for long
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term change. Yet, Gloria Alread, the veteran women's rights attorney
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who represented Mimi Hayley, insists the movement is alive and well,
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pointing to the continued stream of civil settlements and private
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accountability measures. Progress for women in the workplace and in
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the justice system over the past decade is a direct
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result of his prosecution, she told me outside the courthouse. Meanwhile,
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Weinstein's representatives continue to maintain his innocence. His attorney, Arthur Adala,
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has suggested that Weinstein was railroaded by the Number Me
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two movement and that the cases against him represent the
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criminalization of consensual adult relationships rather than actual crimes. More