Weinstein sex assault case to be dropped after mistrials

US prosecutors moved to drop a sex assault case against disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein after two separate juries were unable to reach verdicts in the case, his spokesman told AFP.

The case centered on allegations by actor Jessica Mann that Weinstein sexually assaulted her after the pair met at a party in 2013 when she was 27 and the cinema power broker promised to boost her career.

It was the third time that Ms Mann has taken the stand against Weinstein after a 2020 guilty verdict was overturned due to mishandling of witnesses, and a 2025 case ended in mistrial after a jury-room feud.

The Manhattan District Attorney did not respond to a request for comment on the move that would effectively avert a fourth trial on the claims.

Weinstein, who was at the centre of abuse allegations that spurred the MeToo movement in Hollywood, is already in prison for other sex offenses, so he will remain behind bars despite the end of this case.

Weinstein's spokesman Judah Engelmayer told AFP the prosecution was "dropped. They just did (it)," confirming US media reports.

"He's relieved. This is what should have happened had the prosecution showed the full extent of emails, texts and private messages (between Weinstein and Mann) to the grand jury initially," he added.

The Oscar-winning Weinstein, 74, is serving a separate 16-year prison term in a California case for the rape of a European actress more than a decade ago. He is appealing that conviction.

He is also appealing a conviction on charges that he sexually assaulted movie producer Miriam Haley.

In 2017, investigations by The New Yorker and The New York Times laid bare a series of claims by young women that triggered an avalanche of allegations from more than 80 complainants and prompted the global MeToo movement.

During the latest trial that ended 15 May, Ms Mann recalled how Weinstein "told me that I was prettier than Natalie Portman".

She added that Weinstein's apparent interest in boosting her career, including buying her books on acting, initially seemed like a "miracle".