Harvey Weinstein Rape Conviction Overturned

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Facts

  • In a 4-3 decision, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, voted to overturn Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction.1
  • Weinstein was convicted of and sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual assaults in 2006 and 2013. However, the court ruled his trial wrongly allowed witnesses to make accusations against him that didn't relate to the case.2
  • The court said the 'trial court... compounded that error' by allowing a defendant with 'no criminal history' to 'be cross examined about those allegations as well as numerous allegations of misconduct that portrayed the defendant in a highly prejudicial light.'3
  • While the trial court at the time said it was looking to see if the other female witnesses' testimonies would help the jurors find 'intent,' Weinstein's attorneys at the time argued that it would 'prejudice' the jury.4
  • With the now thrown-out conviction, which was made during former Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Cyrus Vance's time in office, current DA Alvin Bragg will have to decide whether or not to retry Weinstein for the same charges.1
  • Weinstein was also convicted of and sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape in Los Angeles, Calif. in 2022.3

Sources: 1BBC News, 2FOX News, 3NBC and 4New York Post.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Nycourts. Under the protection of the US Constitution, every American criminal defendant has the right to face only the specific charges laid against them in a particular trial. It is unfair, therefore, to include unrelated accusations of prior misbehavior. Due to these inadmissible testimonies included in the trial, Weinstein's right to testify under fair questioning was also violated.
  • Narrative B, as provided by www.axios.com. While the court's majority has laid out some reasonable legal claims, this ruling is a serious setback in the fight to protect women from dangerous sexual predators. Sex crimes are well known to be far more complex than other crimes, and it appears the court doesn't understand the nuanced nature of Harvey Weinstein's trial. This is a sad day for those who Weinstein victimized.