Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction overturned by New York appeals court
Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys: He did not get a fair trial
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Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on rape charges has been overturned by the State of New York Court of Appeals, which ordered a new trial.
In the 2020 trial, Weinstein, now 72, was found guilty of rape in the third degree for sexually assaulting an actress in 2013 and of committing a criminal sex act by forcing oral sex on a former production assistant in 2006. Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
The court found that the judge who presided over the disgraced movie mogul’s case had made a mistake by allowing prosecutors to call witnesses whose accusations were not part of the charges against him, according to the 4-3 decision. The text of the decision was released Thursday morning.
media reports began to surface in late 2017 of misconduct accusations against Weinstein, and dozens of women came forward and accused him of sexual assault. The scandal was a major spark for the #MeToo movement.
In a separate trial in Los Angeles, jurors found Weinstein guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault against an Italian model and actor during a 2013 film festival. He has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for those charges, which he was expected to serve after his New York sentence.
Weinstein accuser on disgraced media mogul’s Los Angeles rape conviction
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Two charges of indecent assault against Weinstein have also been authorized in the United Kingdom.
In January 2024, a woman filed a lawsuit accusing Weinstein and Madison Square Garden Entertainment CEO James Dolan of sexual assault. Dolan was also accused of trafficking. Both men have denied the allegations.
#MeToo movement advocates and those who have spoken out about abuse from Weinstein before gathered for a news conference on Wednesday afternoon. Actor Ashley Judd, who previously alleged that Weinstein pressured her to give him massages and watch him shower when she visited his hotel room for what she thought was a breakfast meeting while working on the film “Kiss the Girl,” called the overturning of his conviction an “institutional betrayal.”
Mira Sorvino, who also previously made allegations against Weinstein, said on social media that she was “horrified” by the decision and “disgusted” at the justice system.
Kerry Breen
Source: cbsnews.com