Harvey Weinstein says jurors were bullied into convicting him; a judge is set to rule

"NEW YORK -- Harvey Weinstein returns to court Thursday, seeking to get his latest sex crime conviction thrown out because anger and apprehensions flared among jurors during deliberations last spring. It's the latest convoluted turn in the former Hollywood honcho's path through the criminal justice system. His landmark #MeToo-era case has spanned seven years, trials in two states, a reversal in one and a retrial that came to a messy end in New York last year."

"Weinstein, 73, denies all the charges. They were one outgrowth of a stack of sexual harassment and sex assault allegations against him that emerged publicly in 2017 and ensuing years, fueling the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. Early on, Weinstein apologized for "the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past," while also denying that he ever had non-consensual sex."

"The split verdict last June came after multiple jurors took the unusual step of asking to brief the judge on behind-the-scenes tensions. In a series of exchanges partly in open court, one juror complained that others were "shunning" one of the panel members; the foreperson alluded to jurors "pushing people" verbally and talking about Weinstein's "past" in a way the juror thought improper; yet a third juror opined that discussions were "going well.""

Harvey Weinstein returned to court seeking to have his most recent sex-crime conviction thrown out because juror anger and apprehensions arose during deliberations. The case has lasted seven years, included trials in two states, a reversal and a retrial that ended messily in New York. Weinstein was convicted of forcing oral sex on one woman, acquitted on another forcible oral sex allegation, and the jury left undecided a rape charge involving a third woman that prosecutors plan to retry. Weinstein denies the charges, and the allegations that emerged in 2017 fueled the #MeToo movement. Defense attorneys argued the women consented hoping for work and later made false accusations for settlements and attention. Multiple jurors reported tensions, claims of shunning and pressure, and the foreperson expressed fear after alleged threats.

Read at ABC7 Los Angeles