Jessica Mann: After five years, former actress Jessica Mann returned to the witness stand and tearfully told a New York jury how Harvey Weinstein allegedly raped her in a Midtown hotel in 2013.

Now 38, Mann recalled the incident at the DoubleTree Hotel on March 18, 2013. She said Weinstein trapped her in the room, injected himself with a drug—later identified as erectile dysfunction medication—and then forced himself on her.

Jessica Mann Statements:

Jessica Mann told the court, “This was the moment I just gave up,” as she recalled how Harvey Weinstein allegedly blocked the door and asked her to undress.

She said that after the assault, she found a needle in the trash labeled with something like “necro-something.” When she Googled it, she discovered it referred to “dead penis.” She explained to the jury that the medication has limited use. “I was freaked out. Did I get exposed to something? It was scary,” she said.

Ms. Mann admitted she continued a complicated relationship with Weinstein after the incident. “I decided to date him. I’m sorry if that was a bad choice. I just did,” she said, sobbing on the witness stand. “I also just wanted to buy time because I didn’t know how to handle it.”

She described Weinstein as a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” figure, referencing the horror novel about a respectable man with a monstrous alter ego. “He gave me a lot of validation at times, but the word ‘No’ seemed to set him off,” she said. “I called that other personality ‘The Monster side.'”

Shocking Claim Against Weinstein:

Ms. Mann told the jury that during their first private meeting in Los Angeles, before the 2013 hotel room rape, Harvey Weinstein forced her into unwanted oral sex. She said he lured her and a friend to his hotel room by pretending he wanted to give them a Vampire Academy script.

Once they were alone in the bedroom, Ms. Mann said Weinstein pushed himself on her, ignoring her protests. She described the encounter as a “battle.” Although deeply shaken, she said she later chose to date him, hoping it would help her make sense of the traumatic experience. “I just thought it would take the pain away,” she said in court.

Also Read: Tom Cruise’s Remuneration for Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

Weinstein’s 2020 Conviction:

The court ordered a retrial after overturning Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for third-degree rape against Ms. Mann. If the jury finds him guilty of the most serious rape charge related to her account, he could face up to 25 years in prison. Jessica Mann is the third and final accuser to testify in the retrial. Earlier, former teen model Kaja Sokola and former production assistant Miriam “Mimi” Haley testified about similar assaults by Weinstein. Prosecutors are using each woman’s testimony to show a pattern of predatory behavior, along with proving the individual charges. Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty to all accusations.

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