Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, California, October 4, 2022.
Etienne Laurent | Pool | Reuters
Harvey Weinstein‘s 2020 rape conviction was overturned Thursday in New York, making way for a new trial.
The state Court of Appeals found that the judge in the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the former film mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
The court ordered a new trial and his accusers could again be called to testify.
Juda Engelmayer, a spokesperson for Weinstein, said they are “thrilled with the court’s decision.”
“We obviously have a long road ahead of us in California,” Engelmayer said in a statement to NBC News.
Weinstein, 72, has been serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison following his conviction on charges of criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on an aspiring actor in 2013.
The charges came to light in 2017 following investigative reports published by The New York Times and The New Yorker. His pattern of sexual abuse and lack of accountability helped fuel the #MeToo Movement.
Weinstein also faced charges in Los Angeles and was convicted in 2022 of rape and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He was acquitted of a count of sexual battery in that case.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
