Accusers ‘gutted’ as Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction in New York overturned
Court orders new trial for Weinstein, who has been serving a 23-year sentence
Judge at landmark trial prejudiced the former movie mogul with improper rulings, higher court found.The case, which helped galvanize the #MeToo movement and spurred a reckoning in the entertainment industry, was part of a wave of allegations against the 72-year-old movie mogul.
“There are some people who are very unpopular in our society, but we still have to apply the law fairly to them,” Weinstein’s attorney Arthur Aidala said during a press conference after the decision. “And in this courthouse behind us at that trial, the law was not applied fairly to Harvey Weinstein.”
A weekslong, landmark 2020 trial resulted in Weinstein’s rape conviction, and a judge sentenced him to 23 years in prison. In Thursday’s 4-3 decision, the New York court ordered a new trial for Weinstein, who will continue serving a 16-year prison sentence stemming from a 2022 California conviction for rape.
