Sexual Predator or Innocent Man? Weinstein’s Verdict Reversed

The guilty verdict against film producer Harvey Weinstein (72), who sparked the #MeToo movement due to accusations of sexual assault against over 90 women, has been overturned by New York’s highest court. There is even a possibility that Weinstein, who is effectively serving a life sentence, could be released.

According to Variety, on the 25th (local time), New York’s highest court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 sexual assault conviction by a 4 to 3 vote and sent it back to the lower court. The reason was that the testimony of a woman not related to the charges was allowed.

Weinstein, the producer of Academy Award-winning films “Shakespeare in Love” and “Good Will Hunting,” is serving a 23-year sentence at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in New York. In 2022, he was also found guilty of rape charges in Los Angeles and was sentenced to an additional 16 years.

Variety reported, “The New York’s highest court’s ruling can now be used to strengthen an appeal in California, and if successful, Weinstein could be released.”

Jennifer Bonjean, the attorney who ling Weinstein’s California appeal, said, “At the time the jury was deciding the evidence in California, they were working under the assumption and the belief that he had properly been convicted in New York. Now we know that’s not true.”

Bonjean plans to submit an appeal to California’s 2nd Appellate District on May 20. She plans to make the same successful argument in New York, namely that the LA trial was biased due to unnecessary testimonies from witnesses whose allegations were not charged.

She emphasized, “In the California case, Harvey suffered from allegations that were neither charged nor proven. We told the judge this was a problem, and now it is.”

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office expressed sadness over New York’s ruling in a statement released in the afternoon. However, they are confident that the conviction in Los Angeles will be upheld because California law explicitly allows additional witnesses in sexual assault cases at the judge’s discretion.

Weinstein’s sexual assault allegations first emerged in 2017. Victims, including famous actresses like Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, came forward one after another, sparking a global #MeToo movement.