Los Angeles prosecutors on Tuesday told a judge that they would not retry Harvey Weinstein on rape and sexual assault charges involving two women.
Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench dismissed the charges on which a jury had failed to reach agreement in December and said Weinstein would be returned to New York, where he has been convicted in a similar case.
The Los Angeles jury convicted Weinstein, 70, of the rape and sexual assault of an Italian model and actress.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison — in addition to the 23-year sentence he is already serving for the similar conviction in New York.
Jurors could not reach unanimous verdicts on charges involving two accusers — a rape count and a sexual assault count involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, and a sexual battery count against model Lauren Young.
Ms Young, who gave evidence in the New York trial, said at Tuesday's hearing that she was “very disappointed” prosecutors would not be moving forward with a retrial.
“For 10 years I have done everything possible to seek justice for what the defendant did to me,” she said, reading from prepared remarks with her lawyer Gloria Allred standing behind her.
“I have not achieved the justice that I had hoped to obtain.
“I wanted him to be held accountable for what he did to me. I think that Harvey Weinstein should be punished for any and every crime he has committed against women — including me.”
Marlene Martinez, the deputy district attorney, read a statement from Ms Newsom at the hearing.
“The defence reopened and exacerbated my trauma,” the statement said. “He tried to ruin my life and the lives of so many other women. He deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Weinstein was also acquitted of a count of sexual battery against a massage therapist.
The New York conviction is currently under appeal.
Agencies contributed to this report
