Los Angeles prosecutors told a judge Tuesday that they will not retry Harvey Weinstein, who was convicted of the rape and sexual assault of one woman, on counts involving two others that left jurors deadlocked.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson announced the decision to Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench at a hearing in downtown Los Angeles. The judge granted a defense motion to dismiss the charges and said Weinstein would be returned to New York, where he was convicted in a similar case.
Weinstein attorney Jacqueline Sparagna said he maintains his innocence of the charges.
In December, the Los Angeles jury convicted Weinstein, 70, of the rape and sexual assault of Italian model and actor Evgeniya Chernyshova, and he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. That’s in addition to the 23-year sentence he is already serving in New York.
Jurors could not reach unanimous verdicts on a rape count and a sexual assault count involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom — a documentary filmmaker and the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom — and a sexual battery count involving model Lauren Young.
Siebel Newsom’s attorney Elizabeth Fegan said in a statement after the hearing that they respect the prosecution’s decision not to retry the charges related to her.
“The First Partner’s primary intention in coming forward was to ensure that Weinstein spends the rest of his life in prison,” Fegan said. She added that had “the court not handed down a fitting sentence, my client would have been ready to support the prosecutors if they opted to retry Weinstein, even considering the enormous emotional toll it would inflict on her.”
Read the full story here.