A retrial of Harvey Weinstein on a rape charge is scheduled to begin April 14 in Manhattan, reopening one of the remaining unresolved counts from last year’s criminal case against the former film producer.
A 12-person jury in Manhattan in June found Weinstein guilty of one count of first-degree criminal sexual act against Miriam Haley and acquitted him on another count involving former model Kaja Sokola. Jurors, however, were unable to reach a verdict on a third count of rape tied to aspiring actress Jessica Mann.
The rape charge ended in a mistrial after the jury foreperson declined to continue deliberations, telling the court he had faced threats from other jurors. Prosecutors subsequently pledged to retry the case, a move Mann publicly supported.
Weinstein had been weighing a potential guilty plea in recent weeks but has not moved forward with an agreement. Jury selection for the retrial is scheduled to start April 14.
The producer has reshuffled his legal team ahead of the new proceedings. Defense attorney Jacob Kaplan, who represents Luigi Mangione in a separate state murder case, joined the defense alongside Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, both of whom recently represented Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in a sex-trafficking and racketeering trial.
Kaplan appeared in court Wednesday with Agnifilo and Geragos.
Weinstein’s previous attorney, Arthur Aidala, will remain involved in the case to pursue an appeal of the June conviction. Aidala has argued that “serious errors” occurred during the trial and previously asked the judge to dismiss the rape charge, citing alleged juror intimidation. The request was denied.
The pending count is rape in the third degree, a Class E felony under New York law that carries a maximum sentence of four years. Weinstein was convicted on the same charge in 2020, but that conviction was overturned in April 2024.
Aidala has also voiced frustration that the charge is heading to a third trial rather than being resolved with prosecutors, pointing to Weinstein’s age — 73 — his health issues, and the 16-year prison sentence he continues to face in California.
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