Good afternoon. Yesterday, a New York State Supreme Court jury convicted Harvey Weinstein of Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree for sexually assaulting Miriam Haley.

And this morning, after the Judge declared the jury could not reach a verdict on Rape in the Third Degree, we immediately informed the court that we are ready to go forward to trial again on that charge, after conferring with Jessica Mann.

Before I proceed further, I want to acknowledge that Mr. Weinstein was also acquitted of Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree pertaining to the charge relating to Kaja Sokola.

And I want to say to Ms. Sokola, I am deeply sorry that that was the result. I thank you for your bravery. I thank you for coming forward. Without the courage of survivors like you, prosecutors like us cannot pursue accountability and justice.

This is a case about an immense power imbalance.

Harvey Weinstein was a wealthy Hollywood gatekeeper, a titan of movies and television for decades. These hopeful, young women were trying to follow their dreams in a world that he controlled.  

This is a case about correcting commonly held misconceptions about rape:

• rape can and does happen between acquaintances and between romantic partners;
• rape can and does happen before or after consensual sex;
• and rape can and does happen years before a survivor is ready to report.

These are the kinds of cases our expert prosecutors are handling day in and day out. So, I want to take a moment to urge any survivors of sexual assault to reach out to our Special Victims Division. Our phone number is 212-335-9373. Help is available. Again, that number is 212-335-9373.

We know it takes immense courage to come forward. And as was clear to everyone in that court room for the past several weeks, it takes immense courage to get on the stand and testify.

Miriam Haley, Jessica Mann, and Kaja Sokola each spent days on the witness stand, sharing the most traumatic moments of their lives in a room full of strangers. Their credibility and character were attacked during lengthy cross-examinations. They were accused of being money hungry. They were called liars. They were even told that they, in fact, were the abusers.

But they stood their ground. And for that I am extraordinarily grateful.

I want to thank the incredible prosecution team for their commitment to justice, the work they’ve done on this case. And they stand illustrative of the work that our division does every day. Prosecutors Nicole Blumberg, Shannon Lucey, Matthew Colangelo, Becky Mangold, and behind the scenes our analysts who you don’t always see who are equally phenomenal – Desiree Marks and Georgia Longstreet. And again, I salute them for their efforts here and want the people of the State of New York to know that they are here, our colleagues are here, and we’re doing this work every day.

I also want to thank other members of the office – our investigators, members of our Survivor Services Bureau and everyone who worked on this matter and matters like it.

I also want to thank the Court for ensuring a fair trial, and all of the court staff, that so often go unsung, for keeping the court room operating over what was a long trial, and not just that court room – all of the other court rooms that operated during the pendency of this trial.

And I want to thank the members of the jury. Jury service is one of the heartbeats of our democracy. They gave weeks of their lives to closely examine evidence and listen to testimony, and I thank them for their service.

Most of all, and I’m going to conclude on this most important point, I want to thank the survivors who made immense sacrifices in the name of justice. I thank them. I thank them on behalf of the People of the State of New York.

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