Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction was overturned Thursday in New York, making way for a new trial.
The state Court of Appeals found that the judge in the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the former film mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes because that testimony served no material non-propensity purpose,” the court’s 4-3 decision said.
“The court compounded that error when it ruled that defendant, who had no criminal history, could be cross examined about those allegations as well as numerous allegations of misconduct that portrayed defendant in a highly prejudicial light,” it said.
Judge Jenny Rivera called the errors “egregious” and said the remedy is a new trial. Weinstein’s accusers could again be called to testify.
Judge Madeline Singas, in the dissenting opinion, accused the majority of “whitewashing the facts to conform to a he-said/she-said narrative” and failing to recognize that the jury was allowed to consider Weinstein’s past assaults.
“This Court has continued a disturbing trend of overturning juries’ guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence,” Singas wrote.
Juda Engelmayer, a spokesperson for Weinstein, said they are “thrilled with the court’s decision.”
“We obviously have a long road ahead of us in California,” Engelmayer said in a statement to NBC News.
Weinstein, 72, has been serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison following his conviction on charges of criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on an aspiring actor in 2013.
The charges came to light in 2017 following investigative reports published by The New York Times and The New Yorker. His pattern of sexual abuse and lack of accountability helped fuel the #MeToo Movement.
Weinstein also faced charges in Los Angeles and was convicted in 2022 of rape and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He was acquitted of a count of sexual battery in that case.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.