Topline
Harvey Weinstein was granted an enchantment of his 2020 conviction of third-degree rape and different sexual crimes Wednesday, in response to NBC News and NBC New York, in what may very well be one other doable undoing of a high-profile #MeToo verdict.
Harvey Weinstein arrives on the Manhattan Criminal Court, on February 24, 2020 in New York City.
Key Facts
New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore issued the ruling granting Weinstein a legal go away utility, a court docket spokesman informed NBC, multiple yr after Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in state jail.
Weinstein’s conviction, which stems from allegations from accusers Jessica Mann and Mimi Haley, may very well be vacated, upheld, or modified, or a brand new trial may very well be ordered, and oral arguments are anticipated to be held subsequent yr.
DiFiore granted the chance for the enchantment on the grounds that there are “questions of law” that must be additional reviewed by the Court of Appeals, in response to the New York Law Journal.
Weinstein beforehand argued that testimony from ladies who weren’t victims mustn’t have been admitted, and {that a} juror who allegedly lied about writing a ebook on predatory males ought to have been dismissed.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, mentioned he’s “hopeful all the court docket will discover that Mr. Weinstein didn’t obtain a good trial and reverse his conviction,” and that his consumer maintains his innocence.
Weinstein is getting ready to face trial once more in Los Angeles in October over rape and sexual assault expenses, which he has pleaded not responsible to.
Key Background
The uncovering of widespread sexual abuse allegations in opposition to Weinstein in 2017 sparked the #MeToo motion, and served as a catalyst that introduced comparable claims in opposition to highly effective figures in almost each trade. Over 80 accusers have come ahead in opposition to Weinstein. In the 2020 trial in New York, Weinstein was convicted of 1 rely of third diploma rape and two expenses of commuting a sexual act within the first diploma, and was acquitted of 1 rely of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault. In June, an appeals court docket upheld his conviction.
Tangent
Bill Cosby, who was additionally accused of sexual abuse by dozens of women, was free of jail final yr when his conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The court docket dominated that the district lawyer needed to observe his predecessor’s settlement to not cost Cosby when he gave doubtlessly incriminating statements in opposition to himself throughout a civil trial introduced by accuser Andrea Constand.
Further Reading
More than two years after his rape conviction, Harvey Weinstein is granted an appeal (NBC News)
Harvey Weinstein Granted Appeal in New York Rape Conviction (NBC New York)
New York’s High Court To Hear Harvey Weinstein’s Appeal of Sex Crimes Conviction (New York Law Journal)