New York’s highest court docket on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, per the Related Press. The trial towards the ex-movie mogul was a important authorized second for the #MeToo motion.
In the end, the appeals court docket dominated that the decide prejudiced Harvey with “egregious” improper rulings. One of many rulings talked about concerned letting girls testify about allegations that weren’t a part of the case.
Background On The Ex-Hollywood Royalty
Allegations of sexual misconduct towards Harvey Weinstein first bubbled up in 2017. By the point a few of these girls testified on the witness stand, practically 100 girls had come ahead, in keeping with the New York Instances.
The trial, although, was centered on allegations by Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann. Three different girls additionally testified. He was given 23 years in jail for first-degree prison sexual acts and third-degree rape for crimes in 2006 and 2013.
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On Thursday, that is what the court docket’s majority needed to say in regards to the further girls who testified.
“It’s an abuse of judicial discretion to allow untested allegations of nothing greater than dangerous conduct that destroys a defendant’s character however sheds no gentle on their credibility as associated to the prison costs lodged towards them.”
Right here’s What Subsequent For Harvey Weinstein
The New York appeals court docket has dominated that the subsequent step for Harvey and prosecutors is “a brand new trial.”
“We conclude that the trial court docket erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts towards individuals apart from the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the court docket’s 4-3 determination mentioned. “The treatment for these egregious errors is a brand new trial.”
Regardless of the overturned 2020 conviction, Harvey Weinstein has to stay behind bars. That’s as a result of a Los Angeles court docket convicted him of rape in 2022–sentencing him to 16 years in jail. Notice that one of many girls who testified in New York had her costs towards Weinstein in Los Angeles dropped.
Weinstein is incarcerated in New York on the Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Albany. He maintains his innocence. He contends any sexual exercise was consensual.
The reversal of Weinstein’s conviction is the second main #MeToo setback within the final two years after the U.S. Supreme Courtroom refused to listen to an attraction of a Pennsylvania court docket determination to throw out Invoice Cosby’s sexual assault conviction.
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Related Press employees Michael R. Sisak, Dave Collins, Jocelyn Noveck, and Larry Neumeister contributed to this story.
