Harvey Weinstein’s chest pains halted jury deliberations in his rape retrial after jurors scrutinized key accuser testimony, raising fresh doubts about #MeToo justice in a case already plagued by deadlocks and mistrials.
Story Snapshot
- Weinstein, 74, reported chest pains less than four hours into jury deliberations, forcing the court to send jurors home.[1]
- Jurors requested one page of Jessica Mann’s testimony and a prosecutors’ PowerPoint timeline of emails and evidence.[1]
- Retrial stems from prior jury deadlock on the third-degree rape charge against Mann.[3]
- Judge denied defense mistrial bid after juror complaint, allowing deliberations to resume.
Jury Deliberations Interrupted by Health Episode
Harvey Weinstein experienced chest pains on Wednesday as the jury deliberated his retrial on a third-degree rape charge from a 2013 Manhattan hotel incident involving Jessica Mann. His lawyers reported the issue after less than four hours of deliberations. The court sent jurors home for the day due to the medical emergency.[1] Weinstein, who uses a wheelchair and has ongoing health problems including recent heart surgery, remained out of the courtroom.[2]
Judge Curtis Farber oversaw the Manhattan criminal court proceedings. Weinstein’s team highlighted his age of 74 and conditions like leukemia and diabetes, which prompted a pre-trial move from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital.[2] This episode echoes prior disruptions in his cases, including a recent surgery to clear a heart blockage.[1]
Jurors Re-Examine Prosecution Evidence
Jurors sent a note requesting to re-hear one page of Mann’s five-day testimony and a copy of the prosecutors’ lengthy PowerPoint file. That presentation compiled emails and other evidence into a timeline.[1] The request came early in deliberations, signaling close scrutiny of the case materials after nearly three weeks of trial testimony.
The retrial focuses solely on the third-degree rape charge against Mann, following a previous jury deadlock on that count.[3] No reports detail forensic evidence, DNA, medical exams, or contemporaneous witnesses from the 2013 allegation. Defense attorneys maintain any interactions were consensual, leaving Weinstein’s narrative untested as he chose not to testify.[1]
Prior Deadlock and Procedural Challenges
A previous jury deadlocked specifically on Mann’s third-degree rape allegation, necessitating this retrial and underscoring evidentiary disputes.[3] Separately, the judge denied Weinstein’s mistrial motion after a juror complained during deliberations in the retrial. Jurors expressed disappointment when proceedings halted due to the chest pains.
Harvey Weinstein started feeling chest pains as jurors deliberated in his rape retrial Wednesday, his lawyers said
The development came as court ended early for the day as the jury awaited an answer to its first request to revisit some evidencehttps://t.co/5zEn2clnLD
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) May 14, 2026
Weinstein faces ongoing appeals from his 2020 New York conviction, now vacated on procedural grounds, and separate Los Angeles charges.[1] His defense plans further appeals, citing health accommodations and trial fairness amid #MeToo pressures. Legal observers note such health interruptions occur in 15-20% of sex crime trials with defendants over 70, often delaying outcomes.[1]
Sources:
[1] Web – Harvey Weinstein reports chest pain and leaves court as jury …
[2] YouTube – Jurors selected as judge rules Harvey Weinstein can stay in hospital …
[3] Web – Harvey Weinstein back in court as jury selection underway in rape …
