Harvey Weinstein's trial resulted in a mistrial due to significant conflicts among jurors. One juror requested removal due to unfair treatment, describing "playground stuff" and others being shunned.
The foreman reported aggressive behavior and pressure to change opinions, exceeding the bounds of the case's charges. Jurors engaged in heated arguments, with threats exchanged, prompting Weinstein to plead for fairness. The judge acknowledged "fighting in the jury room," highlighting the volatile dynamics.
The inherent complexities of jury dynamics, involving diverse individuals with varied backgrounds and perspectives, were cited as a possible contributor to the conflict. Differences in race, sexuality, and class were noted as potential variables influencing deliberations.
For Weinstein, a fallen Hollywood titan, the drama could have challenged any of the hundreds of films he produced before he was toppled by the MeToo scandal.
Addressing the foreman’s concerns, Arthur Aidala, acting for Weinstein, claimed he had never heard of a case where a “grown man who was in good physical shape” was “so intimidated” that he point-blank refused to go back to the jury room, calling it evidence of “gross juror misconduct”.
The first signs that something was amiss came on Friday, when one of the 12 asked to be removed from the case, aggrieved that a fellow juror was being treated in an “unfair and unjust” way by others.
“Playground stuff” was happening, with a member of the jury being shunned and spoken about behind their back, he said.
Judge Farber, rejecting the defence’s request for a mistrial, said: “This is nothing other than normal tensions during heated deliberations.” Noting the juror who made the request was the youngest of the group, he suggested his age “makes him uncomfortable with conflict”.
When proceedings resumed on Monday, the foreman raised concerns that his peers were aggressively pushing others to change their mind, and straying beyond the specifics of Weinstein’s charges.
“I feel like they are attacking, talking together, fighting together. I don’t like it,” he said, according to a transcript of his conversation with Judge Faber and legal teams.
From there the tensions steadily ramped up, with the disgraced producer addressing the court on Wednesday after a fourth complaint from a juror, pleading: “This is not right for me… this is my life that’s on the line.”
The same day, Judge Farber told the court there had been “some fighting in the jury room” and that at least one juror told another: “I’ll meet you outside one day.”
“It’s 12 people who don’t know each other and are randomly thrown together, and there are so many variables,” Sabrina Shroff, a veteran New York defence lawyer, told The Telegraph.
“Race is a variable, sexuality is a variable, class is a variable. So you don’t really know which one of these things is at play when they’re deliberating.”
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