On Thursday morning, New York’s highest state court ruled to overturn disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction.
In a 4-3 decision, the court ruled, “We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes.”
“The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.” added the court.
So, what happens next?
Despite the news Weinstein will receive a new trial in New York, Weinstein will remain in prison due to previously being convicted in a Los Angeles trial for rape, where he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
BREAKING.🚨
The New York Court of Appeals has ruled that the disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein did not receive a "fair trial."
His felony sex crimes conviction in New York was just overturned. pic.twitter.com/v7SH0tA4fn
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) April 25, 2024
Check out what The Associated Press reported:
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein ’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the court’s 4-3 decision said. “The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.”
The state Court of Appeals ruling reopens a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures — an era that began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein. His accusers could again be forced to retell their stories on the witness stand.
The court’s majority said “it is an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant’s character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges lodged against them.”
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction has been overturned by a New York appeals court.
New York’s highest court found the judge in Weinstein’s trial had shown prejudice by allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.
Details here:… pic.twitter.com/7QEn0zoZ0C
— Variety (@Variety) April 25, 2024
Per Variety:
Harvey Weinstein‘s 2020 rape conviction has been overturned by the New York Court of Appeals.
On Thursday, the court found in a 4-3 ruling that the judge in Weinstein’s trial — a landmark moment in the #MeToo movement that the 2017 allegations against him started — had shown prejudice by allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case. The court has now ordered a new trial.
Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of “Shakespeare in Love” and “Good Will Hunting,” is serving a 23-year sentence at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in Rome, N.Y. He will remain imprisoned as he was also convicted of rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison. However, Weinstein was acquitted in the Los Angeles trial on charges involving a woman who testified in his New York case.
Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said in a statement: “We’re cautiously excited. He still has a long road ahead of him because of the Los Angeles case. We are studying the ramifications of the appeal right now.” Weinstein’s lawyers will be holding a press conference today at 1:30 p.m. ET in Manhattan to discuss the decision.
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