Harvey Weinstein's conviction overturned: Will he be released from prison?

In February 2020, Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for his sexual crimes. Barely four years later, a court annulled the conviction against the Hollywood producer.

It should be remembered that the endless list of abuses by the controversial film producer was a trigger for the #MeToo movement. He was convicted in different courts for sexual crimes.

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Regarding his case in New York, the state's Court of Appeals now decided that his conviction was not warranted.

The state's highest court determined that certain irregularities in Harvey Weinstein's trial led to the need to repeat the trial, the New York Times reported.

As he awaits this new trial to be held, will Harvey Weinstein be released? The answer is no.

The New York case wasn't the only one in which he was convicted. In addition to the 23 years in New York, the producer was serving another 16 years for assault in this case in Los Angeles.

Image: Ahmet Yalcinkaya / Unsplash

It was in February 2023, when the former producer was found guilty of r a p e and se xu al assault in 2013 of the Italian actress and model, Jessica Mann.

At the time, those 16 years were added to the 23 he already had. But now, the first sentence has been suspended, pending a new trial.

What was the argument the New York Court of Appeals made? As the ruling stated: "We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes because that testimony served no material non-propensity purpose."

Basically, the ruling indicates that Judge James Burke allowed the jury to hear testimony about other deeds outside of the act he was on trial for. By introducing extra information to the jury, the court violated Weinstein's right to a fair trial.

The ruling also indicates that Harvey Weinstein was judged for certain widely published acts and not for the crimes of which he was accused. This amounted for trial by media.

The Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, will take charge of the situation. "We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault," a spokesperson for the prosecutor commented.

Harvey Weinstein is 72 and has spent the last four years of his life locked up. It's evident that his health has deteriorated in prison. Unless a judge rules otherwise, he is likely to spend the rest of his life there.

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