Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 sex crimes conviction was overturned Thursday in a New York appeals court as prosecutors announced they would retry the Firestorm case.
The New York State Court of Appeals ruled 4-3 that the judge who oversaw Weinstein’s 2020 conviction prejudiced the former movie mogul with a “gross” and improper sentence and had no role in the accusations. The court ruled that it was a mistake to admit the other woman’s accusations. Testimony from the 2020 incident.
“[Weinstein] “He was convicted by a jury of various sexual offenses against three of his accusers, but on appeal he was found guilty of unrelated, prejudicial and untested allegations of past misdeeds rather than the acts he was charged with. He claims he has been judged.” Read Thursday’s decision.
“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted exculpatory testimony of charges of past sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes. “This is a judgment that is inconclusive,” the judgment continued.
In a striking dissent, Justice Madeline Singas accused the ruling majority of “fudging the facts to fit a he-said/she-said narrative,” and the appellate court ruled that “the jury “We are participating in a disturbing trend of overturning guilty verdicts.” Incidents involving sexual violence.”
“The majority’s decision perpetuates outdated concepts about sexual violence and allows predators to escape responsibility,” Singas wrote.
As for whether prosecutors will retry Mr. Weinstein’s case, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in a statement: “We are committed to retrying this case and remain steadfast in our commitment to victims of sexual assault.” said.
In a separate dissent, Justice Anthony Cannataro called the ruling an “unfortunate step backwards” and said that sexual assault “is a typical case of isolating the victim in a dark alley or waiting for the victim to arrive.” The original judgment was accepted as correcting the erroneous idea that “a crime can be caused by a stranger.” Get alone before launching a violent attack. ”
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2020 for two sex crimes. One charge was for forcing a production assistant to perform oral sex in 2006, and the other was third-degree rape against an actor in 2013.
He was convicted of a separate rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and sentenced to 16 years in prison and will remain incarcerated. Mr. Weinstein was acquitted in Los Angeles of charges involving one of the women who testified in New York state.
Weinstein’s lawyers previously sought to have his rape conviction thrown out in the New York State Court of Appeals in 2022, arguing that testimony from a woman unrelated to the criminal case biased the judge. . However, a five-judge panel upheld the original ruling.
The latest state appeals court decision will restart a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by the powerful — an era that began in 2017 with a slew of allegations against Weinstein. His accusers may be forced to relive their trauma on the witness stand again.
Weinstein’s survivors expressed disappointment and anger at the verdict. Actor Ashley Judd was one of the first to publicly share her suspicions about Weinstein. told the New York Times: “It’s really hard for the survivors… We’re still living in the truth. And we know what happened.”
Lindsey Goldblum, a lawyer who represented several of Weinstein’s survivors, including those named in the New York lawsuit, called the ruling a move that “goes against the rule of law.”
Mr. Goldblum said that in New York, so-called “Molineux witnesses,” or “prior misdeed witnesses,” played “an important role in establishing a common plan or plan for the defendant’s alleged crimes.” She said: “When a defendant is accused of being a sex offender, especially someone as powerful as Weinstein, the testimony of the Molyneux witness is critical to the defense’s rebuttal that the sexual encounter was consensual.” said.
Advocacy groups also condemned the appellate court’s decision. Silence Breakers, a group that has publicly condemned Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, said in a statement that the ruling was “grossly unjust” but added that it does not undermine the testimony of survivors.
“The convicted man continues to serve his sentence in a California prison. In 2017, when survivors around the world broke their silence, the world changed. We continue to stand strong and continue to support that change.” We continue to fight for justice for survivors around the world,” the group said.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, hailed the ruling as “a victory not only for Mr. Weinstein, but for all criminal defendants in New York State,” and said it was a victory for all criminal defendants in New York State. We commend the Court of Appeals for upholding this principle. trial,” he said in comments to The New York Times.
According to the newspaper, Aidala said at a press conference Thursday that Weinstein would be transferred to a location near New York City for his upcoming trial.
Weinstein’s rape conviction is not the first time a landmark sexual abuse case has been overturned.
In 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court throws out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction on legal technicalities, finding that Bill Cosby was not charged in the case due to an agreement with a former prosecutor. did.
