Harvey Weinstein Verdict Reversed Due to Errors in Trial Process

In the decision four to three, the judges pointed out errors in the process, including the admission of evidence that was not part of the charges against Weinstein. The judge is said to have erred by accepting testimony from other women who were allegedly abused by Weinstein but were not named in the charges against him.

The ruling also said the judge was wrong to allow Weinstein to be questioned in a way that painted him in a “very harmful” light.

“The accused is entitled to be prosecuted only for the crime charged, and therefore the allegations of acts committed against him cannot be recognized only to prove his criminal propensity establishment,” Judge Jenny Rivera said in the opinion.

Attorney Douglas Vigdor, who has represented a total of eight Weinstein accusers, said the reversal of the verdict is difficult because it means the victims have to go through the process​​​​ -law again. Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who prosecuted Weinstein, said he was shocked by the verdict because the justice system had failed victims to speak publicly about their personal experiences. and the trauma in the courtroom.

On the other hand, Weinstein’s lawyer, Artur Aidela, welcomed the reversal of the sentence, saying that he had always believed that the sentence was unfair: “No one is above above the law. But no one is under the law either.”

In 2020, a New York court found Weinstein guilty of rape and sexual assault and later sentenced him to 23 years in prison.

Weinstein is currently being held at Mohawk Prison in Rome, New York. He will be brought to Manhattan court soon and his trial will begin anew with a new judge and prosecutor, Aidela said at a press conference.

A Los Angeles court sentenced Weinstein to another 16 years in prison after a New York trial for raping a woman in a Beverly Hills hotel. He should have given this sentence after he had given the first sentence. The latest decision by the New York Supreme Court does not affect that sentence, so Weinstein will remain behind bars regardless of the outcome of the new trial.

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