Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction from 2020 has been overturned by a New York court.
The state’s court of appeals have ruled that the judge at the original trial made an error in allowing prosecutors introduce testimony from a women who alleged that the film producer assaulted them, despite not being part of the charges he faced.
Weinstein had been serving a 23 year prison sentence for this conviction for rape and sexual assault.
“egregious”
According to this ruling at the court of appeals, it was ruled that the trial judge further compounded this error by allowing Harvey Weinstein to be cross-examined in a way which painted him in a “highly prejudicial” light.
“The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial”, the courts stated.
Despite this conviction being overturned on a 4-3 decision, Harvey Weinstein will remain behind bars, having been convicted of another rape and sexual assault charge in Los Angeles in 2022.
Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison for that offence.
Once considered one of Hollywood’s most powerful men, Harvey Weinstein faced a myriad of allegations from dozens of women, accusing him of bullying, coercion, or overpowering them while demanding sexual favours.
Such women include high profile actresses Salma Hayek, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, and Lupita Nyong’o.
In 2017, Paltrow accused Weinstein of sexual harassment. She also spoke about working with him in another interview. Check that out here.
The allegations and sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein also resulted in the #MeToo Movement.
This movement allowed alleged victims of sexual assault to increasingly publicise their experiences. It also encouraged many to come forward against such high profile figures, especially in showbusiness.
