The New York Court of Appeals today ruled (4-3) that former Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein did not receive a “fair trial” when he was convicted in 2020 on felony sex crime charges.
New York’s highest court found that the trial judge in Weinstein’s case made the mistake of “allowing prosecutors to call as witnesses a series of women who said Mr. Weinstein had assaulted them — but whose accusations were not part of the charges against him.”
Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., who oversaw the investigation and prosecution of Weinstein, said he was “shocked” by the court’s decision. (The Manhattan DA’s Office said it plans to retry the case.)
Actress Ashley Judd, who alleged sexual harassment against Weinstein in a 2017 New York Times article, spoke at a press conference in New York today, saying: “This is what it’s like to be a woman in America, living with male entitlement to our bodies.”
U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC), a rape survivor, took the news of Weinstein’s reversal as a opportunity to defend former President Donald Trump — who is currently being prosecuted in New York.
Mace wrote: “They’re grasping at straws to get Donald Trump in prison, and yet, Harvey Weinstein — convicted rapist, predator, the monster behind MeToo — just had his rape conviction overturned?”
They’re grasping at straws to get Donald Trump in prison, and yet, Harvey Weinstein — convicted rapist, predator, the monster behind #MeToo — just had his rape conviction overturned?
Lawfare. https://t.co/td27Ws7DJS
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) April 25, 2024
(Trump, who was recently found liable in New York for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll, is currently on trial in Manhattan where he faces 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying documents to cover up payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.)
Weinstein, who has been serving his 23-year sentence at the Mohawk Correctional Facility near Syracuse, New York, will not be released as a result of this decision.
The New York Times reports: “[Weinstein] will be processed through New York’s justice system and sent to California to continue his sentence on his sex crime convictions there.” Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years for rape and sexual assault in Los Angeles last year.