Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals, which ruled that the judge’s handling of the case was biased. The decision has led to a new trial being ordered. But Weinstein, currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York, still faces an additional 16 years in prison from a separate Los Angeles conviction. His legal team is “cautiously excited,” but acknowledges “he still has a long road ahead of him.”
The court’s majority opinion emphasized that the judge shouldn’t have allowed accusers not involved in the case to testify, and thus influence the verdict. But the decision was not unanimous. Judge Madeline Singas wrote in the Appeals court’s dissenting opinion, “With today’s decision, this Court continues to thwart the steady gains survivors of sexual violence have fought for in our criminal justice system.” The Manhattan DA plans to re-try the case.
CELEBRITIES WHO AVOIDED JAIL TIME BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE
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