New York Court Overturns Harvey Weinstein’s Rape Conviction: Impact on #MeToo Movement

The defense and prosecution prepare to impeach the once-powerful film producer in a landmark case for the #MeToo movement.

New York’s highest court has thrown out Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for rape and sexual assault, highlighting the challenges of holding powerful men accountable.

The Court of Appeal found on Thursday that the marked test unfair because the judge allowed women who were not charged as part of the charges against Weinstein to testify in court.

Judge Jenny Rivera called for a new trial after a 4-3 decision.

The decision has no effect 16-year mandatory sentences respectively will be served in California, so the 72-year-old will remain behind bars.

Bombshell allegations against the Oscar-winning producer burst into the open in 2017 and led to a flood of accusations against other powerful men as women fought back against sexual violence in the called the #MeToo movement.

Three years later, a New York court found Weinstein guilty of sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006, and raping actress Jessica Mann in 2013. .

He was jailed for 23 years in a case that was considered a landmark for the #MeToo movement.

After his conviction, a $17 million civil lawsuit was awarded to dozens of other women who had accused Weinstein of abuse.

Many of his accusers criticized Thursday’s decision, with actress Ashley Judd calling it an “act of institutional betrayal”.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said it planned to remand Weinstein for trial.

Struggle with disagreement

At a press conference, Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, called the verdict “a tremendous victory for all criminal defendants in the state of New York” and said Weinstein was ready to testify. to defend himself at trial.

“He’s been dying to tell his story since day one,” Aidala said. Weinstein has argued that any sexual activity was consensual.

Any appeal would be presided over by another judge. The term of the judge in the original trial, James Burke, ended at the end of 2022.

In its ruling Thursday, the state Court of Appeals said the trial court erred in allowing “evidence of uncharged, previously charged sexual acts” and said it would allow questions about Weinstein’s “bad behavior” if he had testified. The representative did not take the stand in his own defense.

In a strong dissent, Justice Madeline Singas wrote that the court was continuing a “disturbing trend toward overturning jury guilty verdicts in sexual assault cases.” . She said the decision came at the “expense and safety of women”.

In another dissent, Judge Anthony Cannataro wrote that the decision “jeopardizes decades of progress in this highly complex and progressive area of ​​law” regarding sex crimes after centuries of “a very patriarchal and misogynistic legal tradition”.

The reversal of the Weinstein conviction is the second major one #MeToo is back a few years ago.

In 2021, a Pennsylvania court threw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction and was release from prison. The High Court refused to raise the issue.