Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 Rape Conviction Overturned by New York Court of Appeals: The Latest

This is a breaking news explainer from Yahoo Entertainment.

What happened?

The New York State Court of Appeals overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction. The court’s 4-3 decision Thursday ruled that the judge in the high-stakes trial prejudiced the jury by allowing for women to testify that the Oscar-winning producer had sexually assaulted them; however, his allegations were not part of prosecutors’ charges against him.

“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged prior alleged sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the decision read, in part. “The solution to these egregious errors is a new trial.”

The background

Weinstein has been accused of rape, sexual assault and/or misconduct by more than 80 women, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Ashley Judd. Dueling 2017 exhibitions for New York Times and the The New Yorker kicked off the #MeToo movement that swept Hollywood and beyond.

At his trial in New York, Weinstein was found guilty of two of five possible charges: first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape. He was found not guilty of the most serious charges of predatory sexual assault (two counts) and first-degree rape. Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison. He faced between five and 29 years behind bars.

“Although he was not convicted of the most serious charges, we are disappointed with the verdict and will be appealing. There are issues in this trial that were extremely concerning and undermined Mr. Weinstein’s ability to have his case heard fairly.”, the defense team told Yahoo Entertainment at the time. “These will be addressed to a higher court.”

The bets

The Weinstein case in New York was seen as a landmark trial in the #MeToo era. The decision is the second major blow to the movement in recent years.

In 2021, accused rape Bill Cosby’s conviction was overturned by Pennsylvania’s highest court. The court ruled that his due process rights were violated because, years earlier, he made a deal with the former district attorney that should have protected him from prosecution.

Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Silva Megerditchian explains to Yahoo: “The real question is what impact this ruling will have on the effectiveness of the #MeToo movement in the future in court — where uncharged acts and testimony from victims who never had their day in court could be prevented from commit their voices were heard.”

What happens next?

Weinstein will remain in prison as he was condemned on similar charges in Los Angeles. In 2022, a jury found the disgraced tycoon guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison and the judge ruled that he could not serve both sentences simultaneously. It will be shipped from New York to California.

New York prosecutors will have to decide whether to retry the case.

“We will do everything in our power to retry this case and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault,” a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office told Yahoo Entertainment.

How are people reacting?

“This is unfair to survivors,” Judd told New York Times. “We still live in our truth. And we know what happened.”

Actress and activist Amber Tamblyn told the outlet that the decision is “a loss for the entire community of women who put their lives and careers at risk to speak out.” However, she hopes it will give the movement a boost. “If there is any good in this news, I hope it reignites people and their passion to not just say they want equality, not just say they want safety, but to actually work towards it.”

Weinstein’s lawyers, of course, are excited.

“You can’t throw out 100 years of legal precedent because someone is unpopular,” Arthur Aidala, who represents Weinstein, said at a press conference outside the courthouse Thursday afternoon — the same one where former President Donald Trump is currently on trial. .

“Today’s legal ruling is a great day for America because it instills in us faith that there is a system of justice,” Aidala continued.

Updated April 25, 2024, 2:04 pm: This story has been updated with comments from Weinstein’s lawyer.