Harvey Weinstein – the monster is back, maybe! A New York court has overturned a 2020 decision that found disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape in a shocking reversal.
Weinstein, 72, was at the center of a media firestorm after numerous women accused him of sexual assault, kicking off the #MeToo era.
On Thursday, the New York Court of Appeals ruled Weinstein didn’t receive a fair trial in a stunning 4-3 decision.
The majority said the judgment had to be thrown out because prosecutors called multiple women as witnesses made accusations at Weinstein that had nothing to do with his charges.
The testimonies “destroyed” Weinstein’s past character, and the “egregious” improper rulings were “an abuse of judicial discretion,” the judges said.
The bombshell decision has sparked concern over whether more high-profile sexual assault cases will be appealed – especially after actor Bill Cosby saw a similar #MeToo era reversal in 2021.
Defiant New York Judge Madeline Singas slammed Thursday’s decision and said there was a “disturbing trend of overturning juries’ guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence.”
Despite the jaw-dropping overturning, Weinstein, who has been serving the now-defunct 23-year sentence in a New York prison, will remain behind bars.
This is because a Los Angeles court convicted him of barging into a Beverly Hills hotel room and raping an Italian model in 2022, and sentenced him to 16 years of prison.
It’s unclear whether Manhattan district attorney Alvin L. Bragg, who is working the historic trial against former President Donald Trump, will decide to seek a retrial of Weinstein.
However, a spokesperson for his office they will “do everything in our power” to bring him back to court.
Meanwhile, Weinstein’s representatives said they were “thrilled” by the decision and are looking to repeat the process in Los Angeles.
More than 100 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct since a bombshell report put him at the center of controversy and vitriol.
Harvey Weinstein – the monster is back, maybe!
