New York appeals court overturns rape conviction against Harvey Weinstein

The former Hollywood producer did not get a fair trial in New York in 2020, the judges ruled.

Thursday 25 April at 15:30

The New York Times writes.

Weinstein has been one of Hollywood’s most powerful men.

He was sentenced in 2020 to 23 years in prison for the rape of a young production assistant and a young actor in 2006 and 2013 respectively.

The case must now come before the court again because the court believes that a decisive error has been made in the case.

The mistake was that prosecutors called several women who accused Weinstein of raping them as witnesses.

The accusations against Weinstein, however, were never part of the indictment.

Thus, the judges state that Weinstein has not received a fair trial.

The judges write that Weinstein was not tried solely for the crimes he was charged with, but instead for much of his past behavior.

It is not clear how the decision will affect Weinstein’s sentence. He is previously accused of sexually assaulting more than 100 women. In New York, he was convicted of two of these cases.

He was sentenced in another trial in Los Angeles in 2023 to 16 years in prison for the rape and assault of an Italian actor in 2013.

As one of the founders of the production and distribution company Miramax, Weinstein has been one of the most powerful people in Hollywood.

The accusations against Weinstein became central to the metoo movement.