The highest court in New York threw out the 2020 conviction for sex crimes of former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, issued in the case that gave strength to the MeToo ( MeToo ) movement, BTA reported.
In a four-to-three vote, the state Court of Appeals ruled that the judge in the case erred by allowing prosecutors to introduce statements from women who alleged Weinstein had assaulted them, even though they were not part of the charges against the former producer. the case.
The court said the judge in the case made another error by allowing Weinstein to be cross-examined in a way that portrayed him in a “highly prejudicial” light.
It is a miscarriage of justice to allow unverified allegations of nothing more than bad conduct that damages a defendant’s character but shed no light on their credibility with respect to the criminal charges, Justice Jenny Rivera wrote for the majority. Treatment for these severe errors is a new process, she added.
Weinstein is serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted in February 2020 of sexually assaulting a former production assistant in 2006 and raping a young actress in 2013.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose predecessor Cyrus Vance brought the charges against Weinstein, is set to decide whether to re-indict the former producer.
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