Turnaround in MeToo trial

“Inadmissible”: Weinstein verdict overturned

Due to "procedural errors", the trial against Weinstein is being partially reopened.(Bild: AFP/Johannes EISELE)

Unbelievable turnaround in the MeToo trial: New York's highest court overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction on Thursday and found that the judge in the groundbreaking MeToo trial disadvantaged the ex-film mogul with inadmissible sentences. However, the producer remains in custody.

In a surprising decision, the judges upheld the 72-year-old's appeal. The allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein must therefore be partially retried.

"Outrageous wrong decisions"
According to the Court of Appeal, the judge disadvantaged Weinstein at the time by making "egregious errors of judgment". These included the decision to allow women to testify about allegations that were not part of the indictment. "We conclude that the trial court erred in admitting testimony about uncharged, alleged prior sexual conduct against persons other than the plaintiffs in the underlying offenses," the judge in charge wrote in support.

The defendant has the right to be held accountable only for the crime charged, and therefore allegations of prior misconduct against him may not be admitted merely to prove his propensity for criminality.

Richterin Jenny Rivera

The decision was made by four votes to three and was therefore relatively close. "The defendant has the right to be held accountable only for the crime charged, and therefore allegations of prior misconduct against him may not be admitted merely to prove his propensity to commit crime," said Judge Jenny Rive.

Remains in custody for further rape
After the trial, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. The case must now be retried. However, the 72-year-old will remain in prison. In 2022, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Los Angeles for another rape. This is responsible for him not being released.

Since 2017, more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg must now decide whether or not to initiate a new trial against the former Hollywood producer.

The trial against Weinstein will be partially reopened due to "procedural errors".(Bild: AFP/Johannes EISELE)

The New York verdict was considered a milestone in the MeToo era, which was triggered by the case. In the fall of 2017, the New York Times and the New Yorker made allegations against Weinstein public for the first time.

As a result, many women and some men around the world recognized their own stories in those of the alleged Weinstein victims - they began to collect these stories under the catchphrase "MeToo".