The New York State Court of Appeals has overturned disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein’s infamous 2020 rape conviction.
The decision to overturn the conviction was made on Thursday, April 25, with a 4-3 ruling. The New York State Court of Appeals found a Manhattan judge had “erroneously” allowed the testimony from three women whose allegations were not connected to Weinstein’s case.
It was also discovered that the trial’s judge, James Burke, had “compounded that error” by ruling Harvey Weinstein, if he chose to testify, could be questioned on the witness stand “about those allegations as well as numerous allegations of misconduct that portrayed [him] in a highly prejudical light.”
The court investigated if allowing the other women to testify would be valuable for jurors to understand the film producer’s “intent to carry out the sexual crime.”
Weinstein’s attorneys claimed that allowing the testimonies would unfairly “prejudice” the jury.
He was charged with criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex on former Project Runway production assistant Miriam, Mimi, Haleyi. The incident happened in 2006. He was also charged for raping Jessica Mann, a hairstylist, in 2013.
After the 2020 rape conviction, Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in a New York prison.
A Manhattan District Attorney’s Office spokesperson spoke to the New York Post after the overturn announcement. They stated the District’s legal team is doing everything to retry the Harvey Weinstein case. “[We] remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault.”
Harvey Weinstein’s Lawyer Claims the Conviction Overturn is a ‘Victory’ For Every Criminal Defendant in the State of New York
Following the conviction overturned, Harvey Weinstein’s attorney, Arthus Aidala, spoke to the New York Times about the court’s decision.
He declared the decision was a “victory” for not just Weinstein, but also for every criminal defendant in the State of New York. “We compliment the Court of Appeals for upholding the most basic principles that a criminal defendant should have in a trial.”
Although the Court of Appeals did overturn the conviction, Harvey Weinstein is to remain behind bars. This is due to a separate 16-year sentence in a Los Angeles criminal case. He was found guilty of raping an Italian model.
During that trial, the model shared in her testimony that Harvey Weinstein had thrown himself on her. This was after he showed up uninvited to her hotel room. The horrific event took place at an Italian film festival in 2013.
Harvey Weinstein was acquitted of sexual battery by restraint of a Jane Doe 3. The jury was unable to agree if he was guilty of sexual battery by restraint of Jane Doe 2. Therefore, the trial had a hung jury.
Harvey Weinstein continues to maintain his innocence despite the dozens of women accusing him of assault and rape. Among the women who accused him are actresses Ashley Judd, Uma Thurman, Cara Delevingne, and Rose McGowan.