Third sex crimes trial ends in hung jury
Harvey Weinstein's latest sex crimes trial ended with a hung jury Friday, on the third day of deliberations. It was the second time in a year a jury was unable to reach a verdict on the same charge.
The mistrial concludes a month-long trial that was quieter than Weinstein's previous court appearances, with a diminished media presence and less public attention. Earlier this year, Weinstein hired a new legal team, including high-profile criminal defense attorneys such as Marc Agnifilo, known for representing Luigi Mangione and Sean"Diddy" Combs.
Harvey Weinstein's latest sex crimes trial ended with a hung jury Friday, on the third day of deliberations.came to define the #MeToo movement , and he was first convicted of assaulting Jessica Mann in 2020. The former aspiring actress testified Weinstein raped her at a DoubleTree hotel in Manhattan in 2013. But that verdict, along with another charge, was, Weinstein was found guilty on one count of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and not guilty on another.
But a third charge, of raping Mann, ended in a mistrial after the jury foreperson declined to return to deliberations, citing concerns for his safety. Weinstein had returned to court for a third New York trial in April, this one focusing on Mann's allegations. But on Friday morning, Judge Curtis Farber received a note from jurors stating they were unable to reach a unanimous decision. Farber then read jurors a modifiedJurors soon responded with another note restating their position.
"We feel that no one is going to change where they stand," it said. Nine jurors fell on the side of not guilty; three supported a guilty verdict, Weinstein's lawyers told press outside of the courtroom. Outside of court, 55-year-old juror Rick Treese said that the group diverged on"where we actually had facts.
" He told reporters,"We didn't have enough facts to grasp onto, so it was emotion. " People in the group"had varying emotions about it based on experience in life. " "Everybody respected each other. Everybody respected their backgrounds.
It was very civil. I feel certain that we dug into it enough.
" Another juror, Josh Hadar, said his vote was for"not guilty," in part because he felt there might be parts of Mann's testimony that were"fabricated. " "I think the prevailing thought was that the witness had a lot of inconsistencies in her story," he said. The mistrial concludes a month-long trial that was quieter than Weinstein's previous court appearances, with a diminished media presence and less public attention.
Earlier this year, Weinstein hired a new legal team, including high-profile criminal defense attorneys such as Marc Agnifilo, known for representing Luigi Mangione and Sean"Diddy" Combs. Defense attorneys argued that Mann and the then-married Weinstein had a consensual, on-again, off-again relationship over many years. But Mann testified that on that 2013 morning at the DoubleTree hotel, Weinstein"command" her to undress and penetrated her despite Mann repeatedly saying"no." Weinstein has denied all allegations of sexual assault.
Agnifilo said outside court on Friday,"It's our job not just to win this case. There is an entire legal knot that needs to be untangled. And we're going to start untangling that knot strand by strand with the New York case and then the California case. So this really is just a first step.
" He said that this latest mistrial might not be"the win wanted, but it's a win. ""For nearly a decade, Jessica Mann has fought for justice. Over the course of many weeks during three separate trials, she relived unthinkably painful experiences in front of complete strangers," the statement said.
"Her perseverance and bravery are inspiring to the members of my office, and more importantly, to survivors everywhere. " Weinstein's lawyers have said that he is in poor health. He used a wheelchair in court and did not testify on the stand in this trial, nor during any of his previous criminal cases. At one point during jury deliberations, Judge Farber announced Weinstein could not appear in court due to complaints of"chest pains.
" Weinstein has given a limited number of interviews from prison, including with far-right podcaster Candace Owens and the Daily Mail. Most recently, he spoke with The Hollywood Reporter from Rikers Island. ,"I apologized to them generally. You can't call them when you're in a trial with them.
But I'll say it here today: I apologize to those women. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been with them in the first place. I misled them.
" Citing his health issues, including bone marrow cancer, Weinstein said,"I'm dying here. And the DA's idea is probably to have me dying in prison. But I am dying.
"More than 30 teams will take their handmade cars through a custom downhill course of twisty turns and obstacles Saturday as theOne of the homegrown teams trying their luck this year is made up of a group of renters and friends in Santa Monica and Victorville who built their “Runaway Hot Dog Stand” soapbox on an apartment patio. , a group of mechanical engineering students from Cerritos College in Norwalk, who have taken inspiration from the team’s Hispanic heritage and Los Angeles culture.
More than 30 teams will take their handmade cars through a custom downhill course of twisty turns and obstacles Saturday as theTeams from across the country were selected from hundreds of applicants to compete on creativity, design, showmanship, course navigation and time. Fully-functioning brakes and steering are required, but almost every other aspect of the engineering and design is left up to the competitors’ imaginations.
According to Red Bull, the soapbox should be an extension of its team, the wilder and more outrageous the better. , entered with its “Mk. 9 racer” soapbox that was originally an out of commission EV car.for its “carrot-colored” bus design . One of the homegrown teams trying their luck this year is made up of a group of renters and friends in Santa Monica and Victorville who built their “Runaway Hotdog Stand” soapbox on an apartment patio.
“The fact that we're able to do this shows that I mean anybody could do this, and honestly could do anything else,” Carlos Monson, captain of the The Speedy Wiener team drew their design inspiration from L.A. ’s iconic hot dog carts, typically a small grill that serves bacon and veggie toppings outside concerts, sporting events and tourist attractions.
“For us, luckily, a majority of them are Latino and we're like, you know what, this is actually a perfect opportunity because the whole team is Latino,” said Monson, who will also be driving the soapbox. The group of friends, between 18 and 21 years of age, built most of their cherry-red car on Monson’s apartment patio under Victorville’s glaring sun.
They repurposed the base using an old, rickety go-kart frame that Monson said took about an hour just to carry up the stairs and get through the front door. They worked on the soapbox in between classes and shifts at work. The final touches include stamping their Speedy Wiener logo and adding a mock-menu to the frame. There’s also ketchup and mustard bottles with yellow and red streamers hanging from the nozzles and a rainbow umbrella over the wheel.
The team, made up of renters between 18 and 21 years old, built most of the soapbox on their captain's apartment patio in Victorville. For the car’s structure, Monson turned to a collection of cardboard boxes he had lying around after a recent move and attached the various pieces with zip ties. , a group of mechanical engineering students from Cerritos College in Norwalk, who has taken inspiration from the team’s Hispanic heritage and Los Angeles culture.
Their car is lucha libre-themed with rails modeled after a wrestling ring and the driver donning a muscle suit and mask. The red, white and green colors represent the Mexican flag and features Chicano-style pinstriping from L.A. ’s lowriders, as well as some Aztec patterns.
“It's definitely going to be a powerful testimony to our culture,” said Ruben Orozco, a Los Ingenieros member from La Mirada. The team never expected to be picked for the race, and Orozco said the invitation has been “mind-blowing” and “surreal. ” Arelie Marquez, another member from Long Beach, told LAist she sketched the design for the modified go-kart frame before the team chopped the wheels, boosted the back axle and added suspension.
While some of the students drew up blueprints on engineering computer software, Marquez used her welding experience to help mount the brackets — all in Orozco’s backyard. As a community college student, Orozco said he’s felt like he’s missed out on opportunities to showcase their knowledge and innovations compared to students in the Cal State or UC system, but the Red Bull Soapbox Race has helped shed that notion.
“Not only has it been reassuring to myself, but also we've used it as a platform to kind of show others in STEM, in community colleges, that you could do crazy things as a student,” he said. The “1st Annual Cookie Crawl” is a partnership by Milkfarm , Proof Bakery Co-Op , Friends & Family , Modu Cafe and Valerie , all independently owned businesses.
You can appreciate chocolate chips and the cookies they’re baked into without any historical knowledge, but just in case you are curious: While LAist couldn’t find a verified origin of National Chocolate Chip Day, internet records show the day nominally celebrates Ruth Graves Wakefield, the baker behind Toll House cookies. Cookie history sleuths disputeMilkfarm owner Leah Park developed the idea for this crawl years ago after talking with Proof founder Na Young Ma about how popular each shop's cookies are.
Park said she wanted to do something fun and collaborative to encourage people to go out and try new things and support small businesses.
“I was starting to get it all together. We did the prototype for the punch card,” Park said. That was in early 2020; that first cookie crawl became another opportunity stifled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“How to get the oven the right temperature, and what size cookie, then the chips to use — we even taste-tested salt,” Park said. “We literally had different salt that we put side by side, and we ate salt to see what kind of salt we wanted to use on the cookie. ” And that effort shines through: Milkfarm was a hit with our tasters — crispy edges, ample salt, thick , and just the right amount of chocolate . I haven't been a regular at this shop, but thanks to this crawl, I suspect it will be a new favorite stop on the way to work.
I usually stroll Highland Park for the compact array of shops on York Blvd. stretching from Kumquat on the west end to The Hermosillo bar on the east end. But head a little farther east to reachTheir soft, black sesame dark chocolate cookie stood out to our tasters for how the sesame brings a nutty complement; it's not packed with chocolate, so our crew recommends taking big bites to guarantee you get the full range of flavor.
Pair it with the first-rate Modu Latte. You can hit all five stops in under an hour, but budget some extra time to walk around a bit and enjoy what else the neighborhoods offer. Also, while this particular crawl has been in the works for quite some time, it inspired another option this weekend in West L.A. :If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report.
Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health. The Surfrider Foundation's 2025 paddle out at Refugio State beach marked the 10 year anniversary of the Plains All American oil spill.
The Surfrider Foundation is hosting a protest in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday to oppose what it sees as mounting threats to our California coastline. In 2015, a pipeline operated by Plains All American spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County. Hundreds of marine mammals were killed or injured and beaches across the region were contaminated.
In March, the Trump administration invoked the Defense Production Act to bring that same pipeline, now run by Sable Offshore,up to new oil and gas drilling for the first time in decades, has the Surfrider Foundation and other environmental protection groups sounding the alarm. On Sunday morning, the Surfrider Foundation will host a spiritual ritual in surf culture: a paddle-out into the ocean at Refugio State Beach. Read on for details.
The Surfrider Foundation is hosting a protest in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday to oppose what it sees as mounting threats to our California coastline. In 2015, a pipeline operated by Plains All American spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County. Hundreds of marine mammals were killed or injured and beaches across the region were contaminated.
“I live in Ventura. We had a bottlenose dolphin wash up here that was covered in oil,” Hickman told LAist.
“That was really sad to see. And there was oil on the beach all the way down to L.A.
” The spill also “shut down fisheries, closed multiple beaches, and impacted recreational uses such as camping, non-commercial fishing, and beach visits,” In March, the Trump administration invoked the Defense Production Act to bring that same pipeline, now run by Texas-based Sable Offshore,tens of thousands of barrels of oil a day, as well as “provide a secure, consistent source of domestic crude oil, replacing approximately 1 million barrels per month of imports. ”“Right now it seems like if you’re not outraged you’re not paying attention,” Hickman said.
“And luckily a lot of people are really fired up about all of the threats to the environment and particularly the Santa Barbara channel. ” Oil spills like the one in 2015 could also deeply affect tourism, the fishing industry and lead to billions in cleanup costs, according to Gov, Gavin Newsom’s office. statement opposing the Trump administration’s new offshore drilling plans, the governor’s office said the state's coastal economy “supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and generates over On Sunday morning, Hickman will be part of a spiritual ritual in surf culture: a paddle-out into the ocean at Refugio State Beach.
He said anyone with a human-powered craft is welcome to join the circle to oppose drilling on our coasts.
“People are standing up. There’s a lot of opposition,” Hickman said.
“Californians really treasure our coast, our beaches, our waves and really want to protect them. ”A brewery in Lincoln Heights is hosting bingo games with a Texas twist you’ve probably never played before. The game of betting on chicken poop is an Austin classic. Now it’s found a home at Benny Boy Brewing in Lincoln Heights.
Chicken Bingo has been on the brewery’s calendar since it opened in 2022, inspiring a loyal fan base. A brewery in Lincoln Heights is hosting bingo games with a Texas twist you’ve probably never played before.and players surround a wooden enclosure — think a ping-pong table but with a giant bingo board at the base and wire all around it — hooting and hollering and egging on a well-fed chicken in a handkerchief and tiny cowboy hat. Gameplay is simple: you can put a bet on one of the 72 squares. If a chicken poops on your number, you get $100. A bet will cost you $3.
For another $2, you get a cup of chicken feed to coax the bird toward your coordinates. The game originated at The Little Longhorn Saloon — formerly Ginny’s Longhorn Saloon — in Austin, Texas, decades ago. That’s where Matt Farber, Benny Boy’s bingo MC, first played. When his cousin Benny Farber decided to open a brewery, Matt knew the chickens needed to make their Los Angeles debut.
“Ben and I both grew up on farms, so this kind of hit home for us,” said Matt, decked out in a Dolly Parton T-shirt and a palm leaf cowboy hat. “When brainstorming … events to do at Benny Boy Brewing, this was something that just kind of came up. ”The chickens are sourced from Future Foods Urban Farms, a small urban farmstead in Glassell Park.
Chicken keeper Teresa Meza, who stands by the birds’ enclosure and hypes them up before their bingo debut, was immediately taken by the idea. The chickens get quiet time in the shade between rounds, and are kept separate from food and beverage service for everyone’s safety. Future Foods and other urban farm partners are experienced in chicken-handling, and follow standard animal care practices appropriate for backyard and farm environments.
Beyond that, the mechanics behind the actual pooping are very simple.
“Chickens are extremely prolific poopers,” Meza said, gingerly placing a tiny cowboy hat on an enormous chicken named Sophie. “As long as they're well fed and well watered, they will be pooping. It’s probably at least once every 30 minutes. ”Proceeds from each bet go right back to the urban farm.
Aside from bingo, the Future Foods chickens tend not to make public appearances, but for five years now, Meza and the birds have been at Benny Boy every month from March through August. After you place your bets, you can browse booths of Western-themed art from local artists, chow down on some standout barbecue and, of course, sip on some of the brewery’s fantastic beers and ciders. Each game day has a theme.
For example, the most recent round of bingo on April 12 featured a Dolly Parton lookalike contest and line dancing lessons with The Honky Tonk Hunnies. While the bingo games are seasonal, Benny Boy stays busy year-round. Between chili cookoffs, competitive cornhole and outdoor drawing sessions, there’s always something on the calendar. You’ll find pop-ups from some of L.A.
’s favorite local restaurants. Can’t visit? You can find Benny Boy beers and ciders on tap at more than 50 breweries and eateries throughout the city.
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