New York ruling overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction

Jon Powell
·2 min read

Today (April 25), Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction was overturned in the New York Court of Appeals. According to NBC News, it was determined that a trial judge improperly allowed women who weren't on the case to testify about allegations against the disgraced movie producer. Despite this, the 72-year-old will remain incarcerated for a 2022 rape conviction he received in Los Angeles.

“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes because that testimony served no material non-propensity purpose,” the appeals court stated in a 4-3 decision. "The court compounded that error when it ruled that defendant, who had no criminal history, could be cross-examined about those allegations as well as numerous allegations of misconduct that portrayed [the] defendant in a highly prejudicial light."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrsJ3v_PIRU

Attorney Douglas H. Wigdor, who represented eight Weinstein accusers, released a statement on social media after the news. "Today’s decision is a major step back in holding those accountable for acts of sexual violence," the message read. "Courts routinely admit evidence of other uncharged acts where they assist juries in understanding issues concerning the intent, modus operandi, or scheme of the defendant. The jury was instructed on the relevance of this testimony and overturning the verdict is tragic in that it will require the victims to endure yet another trial."

https://twitter.com/WigdorLaw/status/1783498401662779800

Emily Tuttle, deputy director of communications and senior advisor for Manhattan's District Attorney's Office, confirmed plans for a retrial. "We will do everything in our power to retry this case and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault," she said to CNN.

As REVOLT previously reported, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault in a New York courthouse in 2020. He was convicted of raping a woman back in 2013, as well as forcibly performing oral sex on another female victim in 2006. The charges came to light in 2017 following investigative reports published by The New York Times and The New Yorker. Those pieces and subsequent allegations helped fuel the rise of the #MeToo movement.