#Harvey #Weinstein #wont #retried #rape #sex #assault #charges #involving #women
LOS ANGELES – Prosecutors told a judge on Tuesday they would not try again Harvey Weinstein on charges of rape and sexual assault involving two women.
Assistant District Attorney Paul Thompson announced the decision to Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench during a hearing in downtown Los Angeles. The judge dismissed charges on which a jury failed to reach an agreement in December and said Weinstein would be sent back to New York, where he was convicted in a similar case.
The Los Angeles the jury convicted Weinstein70 years, of the rape and sexual assault of an Italian model and actor.
It was sentenced to 16 years in prison. It is in addition to 23 year sentence he is already serving a similar sentence in New York.
Jurors could not reach unanimous verdicts on charges involving two accusers, one count of rape and one count of sexual assault involving Jennifer Siebel Newsoma documentary filmmaker and the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, and a sex battery count against the model Lauren Young.
Young said in court Tuesday that she was disappointed that prosecutors were not moving forward with a new trial. Thompson said Weinstein would likely only face an extra year in prison if retried, and while he wanted all victims to get justice, that extra time wasn’t worth another trial.
Weinstein was acquitted of one count of sexually assaulting a massage therapist.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they identify themselves publicly, as the women named here have done.
Weinstein’s conviction in New York is on appeal and his lawyers plan to appeal his conviction here.
Lench denied a motion for a defense motion for a new trial before Weinstein’s conviction. His lawyers argued that vital evidence had been withheld from the jury.