The New York Appeals Court has overturned the rape conviction of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, with prosecutors in the case saying that they will push for a retrial of a case that grabbed the world’s attention.
Charges against Weinstein and his eventual conviction in 2020, gave birth to the Me Too movement, which led to waves of accusations against powerful figures for sexual assault and rape.
Weinstein, 72, was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape, and he was sentenced to 23 years in prison. He has maintained his innocence and denied any nonconsensual sexual activity.
Weinstein still remains in prison as he was separately convicted of rape in LA.
The appeals court, by a 4-3 vote, ruled the testimony of “prior bad acts” witnesses should not have been allowed because it “was unnecessary to establish defendant’s intent and served only to establish defendant’s propensity to commit the crimes charged.”
The Silence Breakers, a victims’ group, called the reversal “disheartening and profoundly unjust”, while lawyers for victims said the decision to retry was a “leap backwards” and “tragic”.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, hailed the reversal as a win for the legal system.
“There are still people who are very unpopular in our society, but we still have to apply the law fairly to them,” Mr Aidala said at a news conference in New York City.
“In this courthouse behind us, at that trial, the law was not applied fairly to Harvey Weinstein.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it plans 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,” said Emily Tuttle, deputy director of communications and senior advisor for the office.
