NOS News•today, 4:09 PM
New York State’s highest court has thrown out the verdict in the controversial rape case against Harvey Weinstein. Four of the seven judges were convinced that the former producer did not receive a fair trial, because women who were not directly involved in the case also testified.
Prosecutors had presented multiple witnesses to clearly illustrate a pattern of inappropriate behavior by Weinstein. His defense already complained of character assassination at the time, because he was not specifically charged with that. The court now finds that the judge should indeed not have allowed this.
The 72-year-old Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2020 for rape and sexual assault of two actresses. The case was an important cornerstone for the MeToo movement: after the allegations against Weinstein came out, more women in Hollywood announced that they had been victims of sexual misconduct.
The abuses received a lot of attention worldwide, but many of those cases had already expired, including most of the dozens of accusations made against Weinstein. Only two cases could be brought to trial in New York.
Case over?
It is not yet clear whether the New York Public Prosecution Service wants to redo the case. This could also mean that victims have to revisit their unpleasant experiences. That can be very stressful.
Although this appeal will cancel Weinstein’s longest sentence, he will not be released: in Los Angeles he was also sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape two years ago.
Weinstein was one of the most influential people in Hollywood, as a producer of blockbusters such as Pulp Fiction, The English Patient and Scream. His fall was heralded in 2017 by an article in The New York Times, in which actresses such as Ashley Judd talked about sexual harassment by Weinstein.
Actress Alyssa Milano then called on fellow sufferers to also tell their stories under MeToo .
Weinstein’s victims have not yet responded to the reversal of the verdict. His lawyers argue that justice prevails. Weinstein himself has always argued his innocence: according to him, sex was always consensual.
