Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual offenses in 2020. The verdict against was a milestone in legal history and the MeToo movement. Then it was surprisingly overturned – but the public prosecutor’s office doesn’t want to give up.
After the spectacular overturning of the rape conviction against former film mogul Harvey Weinstein, the public prosecutor’s office wants to reopen the trial. Representatives of the public prosecutor’s office announced this on Wednesday at a hearing in a court in New York, at which the 72-year-old Weinstein himself was also present, as several US media outlets consistently reported. “We believe in this case and we will reopen this case,” said Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg.
The defense also agreed to a new trial. Both sides signaled they could be ready for a new trial in the fall if that fits into the court calendar. Judge Curtis Farber initially scheduled a new hearing for May 29th. Whether there will actually be a new trial could also depend, for example, on whether witnesses would want to testify again.
Harvey Weinstein remains in prison for other sex crimes
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual offenses in 2020. Last Thursday, an appeals court in New York surprisingly overturned the historic conviction. By a narrow majority, the panel found that procedural errors had been made in the process at the time. Weinstein is still in prison because he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2023 in another criminal trial in Los Angeles, which also involved sex crimes.
The Weinstein trial sparked the #MeToo movement
After the verdict in New York was overturned, Weinstein was transferred from a prison in northern New York state to Rikers Island prison in the metropolis of New York. According to his spokesman and legal team, he then had to be treated in a Manhattan hospital because he suffered from high blood pressure, heart disease and “a variety” of other health problems. He was pushed into the courtroom yesterday in a wheelchair.
The first Weinstein trial marked a milestone in legal history. The case played a key role in triggering the #MeToo movement. Since 2017, more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault. The ex-producer has always denied any guilt and claimed that sexual acts were consensual.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
