New York’s highest court has overturned fallen Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein’s sex crimes conviction.
In a 4-3 decision, the appeals court ruled Thursday that Weinstein was tried not only for the crimes he was charged with but with his past behavior, and that witnesses were allowed to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.
“Under our system of justice, the accused has a right to be held to account only for the crime charged,” the court said in its ruling.
The court has thus ordered a new trial, essentially forcing the disgraced movie mogul’s accusers to face reliving the painful episodes they described on the witness stand all over again.
“That is unfair to survivors,” actress Ashley Judd told The New York Times in the wake of the shock ruling. “We still live in our truth. And we know what happened.”
Weinstein, 72, will remain behind bars in spite of the ruling, because he was convicted of rape and sentenced to 16 years in Los Angeles in a separate case. He has been serving a 23-year sentence in New York after being convicted on allegations of forcibly performing oral sex on a woman and raping another woman.
Asked by the Times for a reaction to the decision, Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala said, “This happened 10 minutes ago. He doesn’t even know yet.”
Aidala called the decision “not just a victory for Mr. Weinstein, but for every criminal defendant in the state of New York, and we compliment the Court of Appeals for upholding the most basic principles that a criminal defendant should have in a trial.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Harvey Weinstein’s Sex Crimes Conviction Overturned by New York Appeals Court
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25.04.2024
New York’s highest court has overturned fallen Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein’s sex crimes conviction.
In a 4-3 decision, the appeals court ruled Thursday that Weinstein was tried not only for the crimes he was charged with but with his past behavior, and that witnesses were allowed to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.
“Under our system of justice, the accused has a........
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