Jessica Mann Testifies Again in Harvey Weinstein Rape Retrial

On April 28, 2026, Jessica Mann testified for the third time in New York, accusing former producer Harvey Weinstein of raping her in a Manhattan DoubleTree hotel room on March 18, 2013. Mann said Weinstein forced her to undress, blocked the door and assaulted her despite repeated pleas to stop. Weinstein, now a prison inmate, denies any sexual assault and is appealing his convictions.

New York PostAM New YorkIrish IndependentAssociated Press

Jessica Mann, a 40-year-old hairstylist and former actress, met Weinstein at a Los Angeles-area party in early 2013. He expressed interest in advancing her career, leading to a series of professional meetings, industry events, and intermittent sexual encounters that Mann described as both flattering and demeaning. She later said she stayed partly because she feared career retaliation.

Irish Independent

Mann said Weinstein arrived early, checked into her DoubleTree room despite her protest and a front-desk employee’s warning, and ordered her to undress. She begged him not to proceed, but he slammed the door shut, seized her wrists, injected an erectile-dysfunction drug and raped her. She later refused a $1,000 envelope he offered.

Associated Press

Weinstein’s counsel maintains the encounters were consensual and that Mann could have left the room, noting his presence in the bathroom at the time. The Manhattan district attorney’s office counters that Mann was under Weinstein’s control and was pressured into sex. Weinstein, now serving a 16-year California sentence, denies all assault allegations and is appealing his New York convictions.

AM New York

Advocates of the #MeToo movement view the retrial as a test of accountability for powerful abusers. Critics of the defense argue that portraying Mann’s silence and alleged ability to leave the room minimizes coercion and shifts blame onto the victim. The case remains a focal point in broader discussions of workplace sexual power dynamics.

AM New York

Sources differ on Weinstein’s age, listing him as 73 (AP) and 74 (NYT). Defense lawyers assert he was in the bathroom when the door was closed, implying Mann could have exited; prosecutors counter that the door was slammed shut, preventing escape. The exact timing of the alleged drug injection and the envelope’s contents remain uncorroborated.

AM New York

• “Jessica Mann sobbed as she told jurors in New York: “I said ‘no’ over and over, and I tried to leave.” — Jessica Mann, witness

Irish Independent

• “He just treated me like he owned me.” — Jessica Mann, witness

Associated Press

• “Please don’t. I don’t want to,” — Jessica Mann, witness

Associated Press

• “You owe me one more time!” — Harvey Weinstein (as reported by Mann)

Associated Press

• “My friends go far, and my enemies never step a foot in this town.” — Harvey Weinstein (as reported by Mann)

AM New York

• “I just wanted everyone to act like everything was normal,” — Jessica Mann, witness

Associated Press

Mann is scheduled to continue her testimony on Wednesday, after which Weinstein’s attorneys will cross-examine her. The jury will deliberate later this month, with a verdict expected before summer.

AM New York