According to the New York Supreme Court, there were errors in the trial and the conviction should be overturned.
The New York Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the sexual assault charges against filmmaker Harvey Weinstein. The Supreme Court held that there were errors in the handling of the case and therefore the judgment should be set aside.
The Supreme Court ruled on the matter by a margin of 4-3.
This decision was reported by the news agency Reuters The judge presiding over the trial erred when he allowed prosecutors to take testimony from women who say they were victimized by Weinstein, even though they were unrelated to the allegations in the trial.
The Supreme Court says the judge made matters worse by allowing cross-examination to “portray Weinstein in a highly prejudicial light.”
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in New York in February 2020 for sexually abusing a former production assistant and raping an aspiring actor.
Last year, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape and sexual abuse in Los Angeles. Weinstein cannot enter because the New York Supreme Court's ruling does not affect the sentence handed down in California.
Weinstein's original conviction started the international #Metoo movement. After the verdict, several women filed lawsuits claiming they were victims of sex crimes.
– The lawyer who represented the women who accused Weinstein said today's decision is a big step in holding perpetrators of sexual violence accountable. Douglas Victorr says according to Reuters.
– One more inquiry is required from the victims.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Decide how to proceed with Weinstein's case after the overturned decision.
– We are doing everything we can to reinvestigate the case, a spokesman for Prague told Reuters by email.
In addition to New York, Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of sex crimes in California. Stock photo. Etienne Laurent, EPA / AOP
