The New York Court of Appeals has overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction on Thursday. This decision opens the possibility for a new trial against the former powerful movie producer.
In a 4-3 ruling, the court found that the trial judge made improper decisions that were unfair to Weinstein. This includes allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the criminal case against him.
The majority opinion stated that this testimony served no legitimate purpose and portrayed Weinstein in an extremely negative light, even though he had no prior criminal record.
However, one dissenting judge accused the majority of whitewashing the facts and failing to recognize that the jury was allowed to consider Weinstein’s past assaults.
Weinstein’s accusers expressed shock, sadness, and concern that they may have to testify again and relive their trauma if prosecutors pursue a new trial. Some criticized the decision as a setback for victims of sexual violence seeking justice.
Despite the overturned conviction, many accusers vowed that “their truth” about Weinstein’s alleged misconduct remains unchanged. Prosecutors have stated their commitment to retry the case against the former movie mogul.