Topline
An appellate court in New York upheld Harvey Weinstein’s rape and criminal sexual act convictions on Thursday, leaving the disgraced film producer’s 23-year prison sentence in place as he awaits a separate sexual assault trial in California.
Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court on February 24, 2020.
Key Facts
Weinstein appealed his 2020 conviction in New York state court last year: He cited weak evidence, argued that the trial had been swayed by media coverage and said several Weinstein accusers who weren’t formally part of the criminal case shouldn’t have been allowed to testify because they “tried Weinstein’s character, not his conduct.”
But in a Thursday decision, a panel of five judges from the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division rejected Weinstein’s arguments, writing in part that the testimony from other accusers may have helped jurors “fully understand the dynamics between defendant and his victims.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg—whose office tried Weinstein when it was led by former DA Cyrus Vance—said in a statement he is “gratified by today’s decision, which upholds a monumental conviction that changed the way prosecutors and courts approach complex prosecutions of sexual predators.”
Weinstein’s spokesperson Juda Engelmeyer told Forbes the team is “disappointed and sad for Mr. Weinstein,” and they will “study every option available” for further recourse, including going to the New York Court of Appeals, which is the state’s highest court.
Key Background
Allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein reportedly circulated in private for years, but in 2017, the New Yorker and the New York Times published stories from multiple women who said they were assaulted or harassed by Weinstein—and believed their careers would suffer if they spoke out against the influential Hollywood producer. The revelations helped fuel the MeToo movement and spurred a wave of sexual misconduct reports against other powerful men. More than two years ago, a jury in Manhattan found Weinstein guilty of raping a woman at a hotel in 2013 (resulting in a third-degree rape conviction) and forcibly performing oral sex on another woman in 2006 (a first-degree sexual act conviction). At the same trial, he was acquitted on first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault charges. Weinstein pleaded not guilty and has denied the allegations leveled against him.
What To Watch For
Last year, Weinstein was indicted in Los Angeles County on sexual assault charges involving multiple women, and a trial could begin later this year. Weinstein pleaded not guilty to the new charges.
Further Reading
Harvey Weinstein Appeals Rape Conviction And 23-Year Jail Sentence (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/06/02/appeals-court-upholds-harvey-weinsteins-conviction/