Metoo process
Court overturns historic rape conviction against Hollywood producer Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein after the hearing in the rape and sexual assault trial in New York
© John Minchillo / AP / DPA
The decision came as a surprise: Harvey Weinstein probably won’t have to serve his prison sentence after all. Instead, the case will be reopened.
The New York Supreme Court has overturned former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s historic sex crimes conviction and ordered a retrial. In a surprise decision on Thursday, the judges granted the 72-year-old’s appeal, according to a court document. “We conclude that the trial court erred in allowing testimony about unindicted, alleged prior sexual conduct against individuals other than the plaintiffs of the underlying offenses,” the judge wrote.
The judge at the time let prosecutors introduce statements from women who claimed Weinstein had assaulted them, even though they were not part of the prosecution. The appeals court majority also ruled that the judge compounded the error by subjecting Weinstein to cross-examination that portrayed him in a “highly prejudicial” light. “The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial,” the court said Thursday.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York in 2020 for sexual abuse and rape. In a trial in Los Angeles he was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison. The first Weinstein trial marked a milestone in legal history. The case played a key role in triggering the #MeToo movement. Since 2017, more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault.
More on this soon here at stern.
Note: This post is continually updated.