UPDATE: Harvey Weinstein's Rape Conviction Reversed

Harvey Weinsten

UPDATE: Harvey Weinstein's Rape Conviction Reversed

Update (April 25, 20204): Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction has been overturned by New York State's Court of Appeals four years after he was found guilty. Harvey Weinstein, who is currently serving a 23-year sentence following the 2020 conviction, was a victim of "egregious" rulings, a panel of judges determined in a 4-3 decision on Thursday (April 25).

Per AP News, the judges called out the trial court, ruling that it,

"erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes."

The judges continued,

"It is an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant's character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges lodged against them."

Disagreeing with the majority, Judge Madeline Singas wrote that her colleagues were "whitewashing the facts to conform to a he-said/she-said narrative," and feeding into a "disturbing trend of overturning juries' guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence."

She added,

"The majority's determination perpetuates outdated notions of sexual violence and allows predators to escape accountability."

Despite the controversial decision, Harvey Weinstein will stay behind bars as he's serving a 16-year sentence after being convicted of rape in Los Angeles in 2022.

Original Story (Feb. 24, 2020): Disgraced movie exec Harvey Weinstein has been convicted on two counts: criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree.

He was acquitted on the remaining three charges, including predatory sexual assault charge.

The jury, made up of five women and seven men delivered the verdict just before Noon EST Monday (Feb. 24), after five days of deliberation.

Harvey Weinsten was on trial a little more than two years after several famous women accused him of sexual assault with the promise of movie gigs. The allegations against him caused the long-running #MeToo movement to resurface in late 2017, and took it full force as other famous men were accused of similar acts.

During the trial, six women testified against the 67-year-old, but the charges against him are only connected to a handful of the witnesses: ex "Project Runway" production assistant Miriam "Mimi" Haleyi claimed he forced her to participate in oral sex in 2006. Hairstylist Jessica Mann alleged he raped her in a hotel in 2013, and Annabella Sciorra is "The Sopranos" said he raped her in her apartment. The other witnesses who took the stand hoped to prove Harvey Weinstein's pattern of sexual assault.

What are your thoughts on the verdict? Tell us in the comments.

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