Harvey Weinstein avoided a retrial Tuesday in two rape and sexual assault cases. As reported by the AP, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson assured Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench that prosecutors were declining to retry the former Hollywood film producer on charges of rape and sexual assault of two women. He did so at a hearing in downtown Los Angeles that prompted the judge to dismiss the offenses he had been charged with in December.
After making the decision, Weinstein will return to New York, where he was sentenced in a similar case to 23 years in prison for the rape and assault of a production assistant. He is also serving time for the sexual assault of an Italian model and actress in Los Angeles. For that crime he received 16 years. In total, the former Hollywood film producer received a 39-year sentence, which he is currently serving.
Jury fails to reach a unanimous decision
However, the jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision on this occasion on one count of rape and one count of sexual assault involving documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Gavin Newsom's wife, as well as another charge of sexual assault reported by model Lauren Young.
Young was devastated by result in the Los Angeles court. During the hearing, the model stated that she was "very disappointed" after discovering that prosecutors dismissed the charges. "For 10 years I have done everything possible to seek justice for what the defendant did to me. I have not achieved the justice that I had hoped to obtain," Young said, reading from a statement prepared by her attorney Gloria Allred.
In response, Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson justified the decision he and the other prosecutors had made after praising Young for, he said, testifying "credibly and courageously." He continued: "It is a difficult decision. We certainly did want to see justice for all the victims.”
