Weinstein case judge declares mistrial on remaining rape charge as jury foreperson won’t deliberate

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein ’s sex crimes retrial came to a disjointed end Thursday as the jury foreperson declined to deliberate and the judge declared a mistrial on a remaining rape charge, a day after a split verdict on other charges in the landmark #MeToo-era case.

The outcome positions the ex-studio boss for a third New York trial — prosecutors said they're ready to retry the rape count — even as he faces a new sentencing on his sexual assault conviction.

Weinstein, 73, denies all the charges. The Oscar-winning movie producer had a blank, drained expression as court officers escorted him out Thursday in his wheelchair.

His lawyer said he plans to appeal.

“What happened in that jury room was absolutely improper,” attorney Arthur Aidala said outside court.

Weinstein is due back in court July 2 for discussion of retrial and sentencing dates. His first-degree criminal sex act conviction carries the potential for up to 25 years in prison, while the unresolved third-degree rape charge is punishable by up to four years — less than he already has served.

He's been behind bars since his initial conviction in 2020, and he later also was sentenced to prison in a separate California case, which he’s appealing.

In Wednesday's partial verdict, Weinstein was convicted of one criminal sex act charge but acquitted of another. Both concerned accusations of forcing oral sex on women in 2006. Those verdicts still stand.

While the jury of seven women and five men was unanimous on those decisions, it got stuck on the rape charge involving another woman, Jessica Mann. The hairstylist and actor testified at length — as she did in 2020 — that Weinstein raped her amid a years-long consensual relationship.

“I will never give up on myself and making sure my voice – and the truth – is heard," Mann said in a statement Thursday, confirming she's ready to testify yet again.

Jury-room strains started leaking into public view Friday, when a juror asked to be excused because he felt another was being treated unfairly. Then Monday, the foreperson complained that other jurors were pushing people to change their minds and talking about information beyond the charges.

The man raised concerns again Wednesday, telling the judge he felt afraid in the jury room because another juror was yelling at him for sticking to his opinion and suggested the foreperson would “see me outside.”

When Judge Curtis Farber asked the foreperson Thursday whether he was willing to return to deliberations, the man said said no. And with that, Farber declared a mistrial on the rape count.

Two jurors disputed the foreperson's account as they left court. One, Chantan Holmes, said that no one mistreated the man and that she believed he was just tired of deliberating.

“We all felt bad. Because we really wanted to do this. We put our hearts and souls in here,” she said.

Another jury member, who identified himself only by his juror number, said the deliberations were contentious, but respectful.

Weinstein’s 2020 conviction seemed to cement the downfall of one of Hollywood’s most powerful men in a pivotal moment for the # MeToo movement. The anti-sexual-misconduct campaign was fueled by allegations against him.

But that conviction was overturned last year, and the case was sent back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse.

Weinstein’s accusers said he exploited his Tinseltown influence to dangle career help, get them alone and then trap and force them into sexual encounters.

“These hopeful young women were trying to follow their dreams in a world that he controlled,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, said at a news conference Thursday.

Weinstein's defense portrayed his accusers as Hollywood wannabes and hangers-on who willingly hooked up with him to court opportunity, then later said they were victimized to collect settlement funds and #MeToo approbation.

Miriam Haley, the producer and production assistant whom Weinstein was convicted — twice, now — of sexually assaulting, said outside court Wednesday that the new verdict “gives me hope.”

Accuser Kaja Sokola also called it “a big win for everyone,” even though Weinstein was acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on her when she was a 19-year-old fashion model. Her allegation was added to the case after the retrial was ordered.

Holmes, the juror who spoke outside court, said the panel all felt Sokola "wasn’t credible.”

The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they agree to be identified. Haley, Mann and Sokola did so.

Associated Press journalists Joseph B. Frederick and Ted Shaffrey contributed.

Judge Curtis Farber, far right, questions Juror number one, far left, asking him if he is willing to continue to deliberate on the remaining rape charge during Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct trial in Manhattan criminal court, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a news conference, Thursday, June 12, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Arthur Aidala, defense attorney for Harvey Weinstein, speaks during a news conference outside Manhattan criminal court after the judge in Weinstein's sex crimes case declared a mistrial on the remaining rape charge after the jury foreperson said he wouldn't continue deliberating, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Mimi Haley leaves Manhattan criminal court, Thursday, June 12, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Judge Curtis Farber, far right, thanks and excuses the jury after calling a mistrial on the remaining rape charge during Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct trial in Manhattan criminal court, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan as jurors return to deliberations on a remaining charge in his retrial on Thursday, June 12, 2025 in New York. (Christian Monterrosa/Pool Photo via AP)

The Jury foreperson stands and reads the partial verdict during Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct trial in Manhattan criminal court, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Harvey Weinstein speaks to Judge Curtis Farber regarding juror #1 in Manhattan criminal court, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Harvey Weinstein jokes with press photographers in Manhattan criminal court as the jury in his retrial deliberates, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in New York. Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)

Juror number one, left, speaks to Judge Curtis Farber regarding the dynamic in the jury room during Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct trial in Manhattan criminal court, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Harvey Weinstein jokes with press photographers in Manhattan criminal court as the jury in his retrial deliberates, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in New York. Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears say they're mulling a move to Northwest Indiana with their efforts to secure public funding they say they need to build an enclosed stadium in Illinois stalled.

Team president Kevin Warren insisted Wednesday in an open letter to fans that the team still prefers to build a new home on a tract of land it owns in suburban Arlington Heights, Illinois. He also said the Bears are not using the threat to cross state lines as leverage.

“This is not about leverage," Warren said. "We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day.”

Warren did not say where in Northwest Indiana the Bears would look to move.

The letter comes just days before Chicago hosts rival Green Bay in a game with heavy playoff implications. The Bears (10-4) hold a slim lead over the Packers (9-4-1) in the NFC North. In their first season under coach Ben Johnson, they are trying to secure their first postseason appearance since 2020.

“Suggesting the Bears would move to Indiana is a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's spokesman Matt Hill said in a statement. "The Governor’s a Bears fan who has always wanted them to stay in Chicago. He has also said that ultimately they are a private business.”

The Bears’ focus for a new home has fluctuated between a tract of land they own in Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront, and then back to the suburb. They have said they plan to pay for the stadium construction on the site of a former racetrack about 30 miles northwest of their longtime home at Soldier Field, though they would need assistance to complete the project.

“The Bears have called Chicago home for more than a century,” Warren said. “One certainty is that our commitment to this city will not change. We will continue to provide unwavering support to the community. We need to secure a world-class venue for our passionate fanbase and honor the energy you bring every week.”

According to a team consultant report released in September, they are seeking $855 million in public funding for infrastructure in order to build a stadium in Arlington Heights that could host Final Fours and Super Bowls. The Bears were also hoping the Illinois legislature would pass a bill in October that would freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects such as the stadium, allowing them to begin construction this year. But that didn't happen.

“For a project of this scale, uncertainty has significant consequences,” Warren said. “Stable timelines are critical, as are predictable processes and elected leaders, who share a sense of urgency and appreciation for public partnership that projects with this level of impact require. We have not received that sense of urgency or appreciation to date. We have been told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois.”

In September 2022, the Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site 30 miles from Soldier Field. Their focus moved toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Warren was hired as president two years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago’s Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.

Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention back to Arlington Heights, citing “significant progress” with local leaders.

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Kevin Warren, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Bears, talks on the field before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)