New York court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s conviction

NEW YORK: Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for sexual assault and rape was overturned by New York’s highest court, reopening the landmark case that launched the #MeToo movement and highlighting the challenges of holding powerful men accountable.

In a bitterly divided 4-3 decision on Thursday, the state Court of Appeals said the trial judge made a critical mistake by letting women testify that Weinstein assaulted them, even though their accusations were not part of the charges he faced.

The court said the trial judge compounded the error by letting Weinstein be cross-examined on a broad range of “loathsome” conduct, including bullying and fits of anger toward associates, that portrayed him in a “highly prejudicial” light. Weinstein, 72, has been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York.

In a sharp dissent, Judge Madeline Singas accused the majority of whitewashing the facts and continuing a “disturbing trend” of overturning jury verdicts in sexual violence cases. “New York’s women deserve better,” Singas wrote.