Harvey Weinstein's New York Rape Conviction Overturned, Retrial Ordered
Weinstein will, however, remain in prison due to his separate 16-year sentence in California, where he was convicted in 2022 of rape, forced oral copulation, and sexual misconduct.
Harvey Weinstein's New York Rape Conviction Overturned, Retrial Ordered
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction in New York was overturned by the State's Court of Appeals on Thursday, marking a significant twist in a case that was central to the #MeToo movement. The court ordered a retrial, stating that the judge in Weinstein’s initial trial improperly allowed testimony about incidents not included in the case.
"We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes," the court said in its narrow 4-3 decision.
Despite the overturned conviction, Weinstein will remain in prison due to his separate 16-year sentence in California, where he was convicted in 2022 of rape, forced oral copulation, and sexual misconduct. In New York, Weinstein was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison for forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013.
District Attorney's Office Plans to Retry Weinstein
The Manhattan district attorney’s office, responsible for prosecuting Weinstein in the overturned case, announced its intention to pursue a retrial. "We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault," a spokesperson for the office said in a statement on Thursday.
Dissenting Judge Criticizes Decision
Dissenting judge Madeline Singas expressed concern over the decision to overturn Weinstein's conviction, stating that it amounted to “whitewashing the facts to conform to a he-said/she-said narrative” and reflected a broader trend of overturning guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence.
Reaction from Advocacy Groups
The decision has sparked strong reactions from sexual violence survivors and advocates, who view it as a setback for the #MeToo movement. The movement gained traction after the New York Times and the New Yorker revealed allegations against Weinstein in 2017, leading to widespread conversations about sexual assault and harassment.
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the United States, criticized the ruling as a "horrible decision that does not protect due process."
“It upends justice for the survivors of his crimes,” said Scott Berkowitz, RAINN Founder and President. “Harvey Weinstein was fairly convicted and deserves to be punished for all his crimes.”
