New York’s State Court of Appeals has overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction after a 4-3 decision on Thursday.
The movie producer whose sexual misconduct sparked the #MeToo movement case was overturned after the court found that the judge in the trial was prejudiced with improper rulings.
Weinstein’s defense team and the New York courts agreed that Justice James Burke, the trial judge, made a critical error when he let prosecutors call as witnesses several women who testified as victims.
Judge Jenny Rivera said there were “egregious” errors and a new trial would be the only way to fix them.
Judge Madeline Singas said the jury was failing to recognize Weinstein’s past assaults and Judge Anthony Cannataro feels it is a “step backward.”
Arthur Aidala, Weinstein’s lawyer said Weinstein would be brought to a facility close to the city in preparation for the case where they will start from scratch.
