#METOO TRIAL: HARVEY WEINSTEIN'S CONVICTION OVERTURNED BY NEW YORK COURT

NEW DELHI: Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction was overturned by New York's highest court on Thursday. The court found that the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including allowing women to testify about allegations not part of the case.

The state Court of Appeals ruling reopens a painful chapter in America's reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures, beginning in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein. The court ordered a new trial, potentially forcing his accusers to relive their traumas on the witness stand.

Weinstein, 72, has been serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison for charges of criminal sex act and rape in the third degree. These charges stem from incidents involving a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and an aspiring actress in 2013, respectively.

Despite the overturning of his New York conviction, Weinstein will remain imprisoned due to his 2022 conviction in Los Angeles for another rape, resulting in a 16-year sentence. Notably, he was acquitted in Los Angeles on charges related to one of the women who testified in New York.

Weinstein's legal team argued that Judge James Burke's rulings favored the prosecution, turning the trial into what they described as "1-800-GET-HARVEY."

This reversal marks a significant setback for the #MeToo movement, coming after the US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a Pennsylvania court's decision to overturn Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction.

Weinstein's conviction, initially hailed as a milestone achievement by activists and advocates, has now been dissected by his lawyers and the Court of Appeals. The court heard arguments on the matter in February before issuing its decision to overturn the conviction.

(With inputs from agencies)