New York’s Supreme Court has overturned a verdict against former film producer Harvey Weinstein because of procedural errors. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sex crimes – and will probably have to stay in prison.
A New York court has overturned former film producer Harvey Weinstein’s conviction for sex crimes. In a surprise decision, the judges accepted the 72-year-old’s appeal, a court document showed. They ordered a retrial.
As justification, the judges referred to procedural errors during the trial. The court ruled that the judge had disadvantaged Weinstein. This includes the decision to let women testify about allegations that were not part of the case. “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.
Weinstein remains in custody
The trial focused primarily on two allegations: Weinstein is said to have forced production assistant Mimi Haleyi to perform oral sex in 2006 and to have raped current hairdresser Jessica Mann in 2013.
In fact, the prosecution in the case, which received worldwide attention, relied on a number of witnesses who accused Weinstein of sexual assault, but who were not part of the prosecution. The prosecution wanted to use it to show that Weinstein’s actions followed a recurring pattern.
Weinstein was subsequently sentenced in 2020 to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. In another criminal trial in Los Angeles, 16 years in prison were added. Weinstein, who is in a prison in New York state, will remain in custody despite the overturning of the verdict. According to the New York Times newspaper, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg must now decide whether to initiate a new case against Weinstein.
The case triggered the MeToo movement
The first Weinstein trial marked a milestone in legal history – also because the former Hollywood great was found guilty primarily on the basis of the statements of witnesses, even though he himself always protested his innocence. Material evidence played a subordinate role in the proceedings.
More than 80 women had accused Weinstein, one of the most powerful managers in the US film industry, of sexual assault. The allegations against the producer and entrepreneur were published by the New York Times and the New Yorker magazine in autumn 2017 – and were the beginning of the MeToo movement.
All over the world, many women and some men recognized their own stories in those of the alleged Weinstein victims – they began collecting these stories under the catchphrase “Me too.” The MeToo movement celebrated the verdict against Weinstein – but also criticized the fact that he was not found guilty on all charges.