New York’s superior court overturned the 2020 rape and sexual harassment trial against Harvey Weinstein. It is a major setback for the #MeToo movement, and the survivors have started feeling betrayed. Nevertheless, the court said that earlier proceedings were prejudiced, as the judge allowed many women to testify against Weinstein. Their allegations were not part of the criminal charges imposed on him.
New York’s court on Thursday overturned a trial against Harvey Weinstein. Notably, the 2020 rape case that Harvey was charged with was the case that sparked the #MeToo movement across Hollywood.
Weinstein is a former film producer who faced allegations of sexual harassment from over 80 women. The 72-year-old has been serving 23 years of prison on charges of rape and sexual assault.
The reason why this case was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals is still justified. It was found that the judge had prejudiced notions about Weinstein. Thus, he allowed the prosecution to call women who were part of the case to testify.
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In a 4-3 decision, the majority said that Judge James Burke should not have allowed that. They said it was an abuse of judicial discretion.
The court said on Thursday,
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.
Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said that this overturning was not only a victory for him but for all the criminal defendants in New York.
Arthur said,
In this courthouse behind us, at that trial, the law was not applied fairly to Harvey Weinstein.
Today’s legal ruling is a great day for America because it instills in us the faith that there is a justice system,
He added.
Nevertheless, many people also criticized this decision. Ashley Judd, the first actress who accused Weinstein, said that it was not a wise move.
Judd said,
Oftentimes survivors say that the betrayal and the moral injury we suffer within the system is worse than the sexual body invasion we experienced in the first place.
Earlier, the judge approved a cross-examination of Weinstein, even though he had no prior criminal history. This “portrayed [the] defendant in a highly prejudicial light.”
The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial,
The court added.
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