Harvey Weinstein rape conviction overturned by NY appeals court

A New York appeals court overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction Thursday, ordering a new trial in a stunning reversal of a landmark #MeToo case.

In a 4-3 decision, the appeals court found that Weinstein’s trial judge allowed prosecutors to call women who said Weinstein had assaulted them to testify even though their accusations didn’t specifically relate to the entertainment mogul’s charges.

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison after being convicted in February 2020 of forcing oral sex on TV and film production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006 and third-degree rape of hairstylist Jessica Mann in 2013.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN’S APPEAL BLAMING ‘ME TOO’ FOR CONVICTION IS ‘DESPERATE’ LAST-DITCH ATTEMPT: EXPERT

Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison. (Scott Heins)

Weinstein, a former film producer, was known for his influential career in Hollywood before his widely publicized fall from grace. He is the co-founder of Miramax and later The Weinstein Company, both of which have produced many commercially successful films and won accolades from the Academy Awards. 

Weinstein was one of the biggest first figures in the #MeToo movement after being accused of sexual assault and rape by more than 80 women.

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