Two jurors on Harvey Weinsteins NYC trial claim they were threatened by others on jury to convict: I regret the verdict
Two of the jurors who voted to convict Harvey Weinstein claim they were bullied into doing so by others on the jury and regret their decision, according to the disgraced movie mogul’s lawyers.The pair of jurors, in sworn affidavits included in a Tuesday court filing from Weinstein’s attorneys, allege they were screamed at and threatened by their peers during the chaotic deliberations that resulted in Weinstein convicted on one of three charges in June.“I regret the verdict,” the unidentified juror said in the affidavit.
“Without the intimidation from other jurors, I believe that the jury would have hung on the Miriam Haley charge.”Weinstein, 73, was convicted of criminal sex act for assaulting TV and film production assistant and producer Miriam Haley in 2006.He was acquitted on a second criminal charge involving Polish psychotherapist and former model Kaja Sokola.
A mistrial was declared on the most severe rape charge of former actress Jessica Mann.“If I could have voted by secret ballot, I would have returned a not guilty verdict on all three charges,” one juror’s affidavit reads, Bloomberg reported.The juror claimed fellow panel members screamed: “We have to get rid of you.”When the foreperson asked for civility, another juror got in his face, pointed a finger at him and threatened, “You don’t know me.I’ll catch you outside,” according to the affidavit.
“When I arrived home, I called two family members and told them to come look for me if they didn’t hear from me, since something was not right about this jury deliberation process,” one of the juror affidavits states.“I was so afraid of the repercussions and feared for my physical safety that I ultimately voted with the majority.”One of the juror affidavits alleged that one panel member accused a fellow juror of accepting bribes from Weinstein. That allegation “shifted deliberations from an even 6-6 split to a sudden unanimous verdict,” the affidavit states.At the tr...