Ex-actress Jessica Mann breaks down in court, recounts alleged rape by Harvey Weinstein in hotel room

In a powerful and emotional testimony, former actress Jessica Mann took the stand in a New York courtroom on Monday (May 19) to recount the night she says Harvey Weinstein raped her in a Midtown Manhattan hotel room in 2013.

Her account comes as part of the retrial of the disgraced film producer, whose 2020 rape conviction was overturned.

Jessica Mann recounts the events of the harrowing night

Mann, now 38, broke down as she described the night of March 18, 2013, when Weinstein allegedly cornered her in a room at the DoubleTree Hotel. She told jurors he injected himself with a drug later identified as one used for erectile dysfunction, then raped her. “This is about the moment where I just gave up,” she said tearfully.

Afterwards, she said she found a needle in the bin labelled with a term resembling “necro-something.” Upon researching it online, she discovered the drug was for erectile function. “I found on Google that it basically meant ‘dead penis’... It was scary,” she told the jury.

The word 'No' triggered him: Jessica Mann about Harvey Weinstein

Despite the trauma, Mann said she continued a relationship with Weinstein, calling it a survival mechanism. “I just wanted to buy time because I really didn’t know how to handle it,” she said.

She described him as “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,” saying the word “No” would trigger what she called “The Monster side.” In earlier incidents, she said he performed unwanted oral sex during a meeting in Los Angeles under the guise of giving her a script.

Mann testified that she feared Weinstein’s power and influence, even linking his connections to former US President Bill Clinton. “If I ever said anything, he would call his friend and the Secret Service would come get me,” she said.

She also rejected any financial gain from Weinstein. “I never wanted his dirty money. I wasn’t for sale,” Mann said.

Harvey Weinstein's prison sentence

The retrial follows the overturning of Weinstein’s 2020 conviction, which included a third-degree rape charge against Mann. If convicted again, Weinstein, now 73, faces up to 25 years in prison.

Mann is the final of three women to testify in this retrial. The prosecution is using all testimonies — including those of Kaja Sokola and Miriam ‘Mimi’ Haley — to establish a pattern of predatory behaviour.

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all charges.