Weinstein accusers ‘devastated’ after conviction overturned
Women who accused Harvey Weinstein of abuse were stunned Thursday by the announcement that the movie mogul’s 2020 rape conviction had been overturned.
The decision was made by the New York Court of Appeals, which found that the trial judge improperly let women testify who weren’t part of the case.
The allegations against Weinstein marked a watershed moment in the #MeToo movement and spawned a mass reckoning in the entertainment industry around abuses of power and sexual assault.
The case, which helped popularize the #MeToo movement and spurred a reckoning in the entertainment industry, began in 2017 and led to a wave of allegations against the 72-year-old movie mogul. The 2020 rape conviction led to a 23year prison sentence.
The appeals court majority said that Judge James Burke incorrectly admitted testimony from women with allegations that were not a part of the case, but rather “irrelevant, prejudicial, and untested allegations of prior bad acts.”
Weinstein’s conviction in New York stemmed from the accusations brought by Miriam “Mimi” Haleyi and Jessica Mann. But additional accusers also testified about their allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein.
Women called the new decision disappointing and “unjust.”
Jessica Barth, who accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct after the 2011 Golden Globes, called the decision “a
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See today’s top headlines, local breaking news, area scores, things to do and subscriber exclusives at sctimes.com. tragic step backwards” in a statement obtained by USA TODAY.
“It sets a dangerous precedent,” said Barth, founder of Voices in Action, a nonprofit that supports sexual assault survivors. “Evidence of prior bad acts in order to prove a pattern of behavior is often allowed in criminal cases and should absolutely be allowed in sexual assault cases.
“The emotional and physical toll a trial takes on victims testifying in front of their rapist is unfathomable to any
one who has never had to endure that experience, especially when the justice system is stacked against victims,” she continued. “My thoughts are with all of the survivors who took the stand and face the possibility of having to do it again.”