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New York court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction
The state Court of Appeals found that the ex-movie mogul was unfairly impacted by improper decisions, including allowing women to testify about allegations not included in the case
New York’s highest court has overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, citing prejudicial rulings by the trial judge in the landmark #MeToo case.
The state Court of Appeals found that the ex-movie mogul was unfairly impacted by improper decisions, including allowing women to testify about allegations not included in the case.
As a result, the court has ordered a new trial, reopening a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures.
The ruling marks a reversal of Weinstein’s conviction, which had been hailed as a milestone achievement in the #MeToo movement. The court’s decision means that Weinstein’s accusers could be compelled to relive their traumas on the witness stand once again.
Weinstein, 72, has been serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison following his 2020 conviction on charges of criminal sex act and rape in the third degree.
Despite the overturned conviction, Weinstein will remain imprisoned due to a separate conviction in Los Angeles in 2022, where he was sentenced to 16 years for another rape. Notably, Weinstein was acquitted in Los Angeles on charges involving one of the women who testified in the New York trial.
Weinstein’s legal team argued that Judge James Burke’s rulings during the trial favored the prosecution.
The decision to overturn Weinstein’s conviction represents a significant blow to the #MeToo movement, coming just two years after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a Pennsylvania court’s decision to throw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction.
Weinstein’s conviction had stood for over four years before being overturned, showcasing the complex legal battles and ongoing debates surrounding allegations of sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry.
The Court of Appeals, in hearing arguments on the matter in February, ultimately concluded that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial, paving the way for a new legal chapter in his case.