Former film mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted on Wednesday of one of the main charges in his new trial for sexual offenses, but was acquitted of another, and the jurors were still unable to reach a verdict on a third charge, as reported by AP.
The split verdict provided a measure of vindication for his accusers and prosecutors, but also for Weinstein, after the landmark case was left in limbo.
Weinstein's initial conviction five years ago seemed to solidify the downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful men at a crucial moment for the #MeToo movement. However, that conviction was overturned last year, and the case was sent back to trial in the same Manhattan court.
This time, a mostly female jury convicted the former studio head of forcibly subjecting a person to a criminal sexual act in 2006.
But the jurors acquitted Weinstein of another criminal sexual act charge from 2006. And the jurors were to continue deliberating on a charge of him raping another woman in 2013. Under New York law, the charge of third-degree rape carries a lesser penalty than the first-degree criminal sexual act offense.
Weinstein, 73 years old, denies sexually assaulting or raping anyone.
Jury deliberations were shaken on Wednesday when the jury foreman again requested to speak with the judge about "a situation" that he found concerning.
The man, who complained on Monday that other jurors were pressuring people to change their minds and discussing information unrelated to the charges, was being questioned privately, at his request.
While the jury was in court to hear the response to an earlier request to rehear the wording of a rape law, the jury foreman signaled to Judge Curtis Farber that he wanted to speak.
"He said words to the effect of 'I can't go back in there with the other jurors,'" Farber later explained. The jury foreman was sent to wait in a separate room, where he wrote a note saying: "I need to talk to you about a situation".
When briefly brought back to court, the jury foreman said he wanted to speak in private. Then, he, the judge, the prosecutors, and Weinstein's lawyers met behind closed doors.
The discussion was closed to the press and public, but Farber later said that the jury foreman had expressed that he did not want to change his position, whatever it was, and that he was being intimidated.
"He indicated that at least one other juror made comments to the effect of 'I'll see you outside someday', and there are shouts and screams," the judge said.
Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, characterized the foreman's concerns more severely, stating that the man had said he was worried for his safety after his fellow panelist mentioned meeting him outside and added, "You don't know me."
"I don't think the court is protecting this jury. Period," Aidala declared, calling for a mistrial.
However, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo indicated that the jury foreman did not seem fearful or apprehensive, just "stubborn."
"He said he had made a decision, didn't want to change it, and people were pressuring him to do so. That's what jury deliberations entail," the prosecutor expressed.
The episode was the latest sign of tension among the jurors. On Friday, one of them requested to be excused because they felt that another member of the group was being treated unfairly.
Weinstein's lawyers unsuccessfully requested a mistrial then, and again after the jury foreman expressed concerns on Monday. The jury continued deliberating and spent Tuesday without sending further messages about interpersonal tensions.
The seven female and five male jurors began their fifth day of deliberations on Wednesday by rehearing the testimony of accuser Jessica Mann that he raped her in a hotel room in Manhattan in 2013. The group concluded Tuesday's deliberations by requesting to review that testimony.
Some jurors appeared to take new notes on Wednesday, while others sat impassively as the court stenographers read aloud the requested portions of Mann's testimony from several days. The jury had already reheard some passages last week.
Weinstein, 73, pleaded not guilty to raping Mann and forcibly performing oral sex on two other women, Mimi Haley and Kaja Sokola. The Oscar-winning producer and former Hollywood power player maintains that he never sexually assaulted or raped anyone, and his lawyers portrayed his accusers as opportunists who accepted his advances because they wanted to advance in the entertainment world.