NOT WELL

Harvey Weinstein’s Retrial Derailed by Bizarre Medical Episode

The incident happened shortly after his accuser took the stand with harrowing allegations of sexual assault.

As Jessica Mann concluded her testimony in Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on Tuesday, the former actress made a bold statement. Mann, who had just finished recounting a brutal sexual assault she said Weinstein committed in 2013, stared directly into his eyes, and made a hand gesture urging him to return her gaze. Instead, the former producer appeared to suffer a medical episode, emitting strange gurgling noises until court officers came to his aid. Weinstein, 72, quickly recovered from the episode. However, his defense attorney, Arthur Aidala, still attempted to use the incident as grounds for a mistrial, arguing Mann’s gesture had been inappropriate. The judge, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber, quickly dismissed his argument. After nearly three decades as one of Hollywood’s most powerful film producers, Weinstein’s career unraveled in 2017 when dozens of women came forward with allegations of sexual abuse. He was arrested in New York the following year and convicted of sexual assault and rape in 2020, before standing trial in Los Angeles, where he was convicted on three more charges. Weinstein is now undergoing a retrial in New York after a judge overturned his conviction last year. Mann, who alleges Weinstein sexually abused her during their brief romantic relationship in 2013, was one of three accusers to take the stand in the retrial.