Following Harvey Weinstein’s conviction of rape and sexual assault by a Los Angeles jury in 2022, the former Hollywood mogul’s attorneys swore that they would be appealing the verdict, as Weinstein continued to proclaim his innocence. On Friday, June 7th that day finally arrived, as Weinstein’s attorneys made sure to tie the appeal to the overturning of Weinstein’s 2020 sex crime convictions by New York jury in a controversial 4-3 ruling.
The overturning resulted in the throwing out of Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence for alleged sex crimes, serving as a major setback for the #Metoo movement, which focused on holding Weinstein and other powerful figures accountable for these alleged actions. In the opening brief filed in California’s Second Appellate District, Weinstein lawyers Jennifer Bonjean and Michael J. Freedman stated “Factual innocence aside, Defendant’s guarantee of a fair and impartial trial was doomed from the start when his jury learned during jury selection that Defendant was previously convicted of rape in the state of New York – evidence that was never introduced at trial”.
With the overturning of Bill Cosby’s rape conviction by a Pennsylvania court in June 2021, Weinstein’s rape convictions being overturned marks the second time in recent years that a powerful male figure targeted by the #Metoo movement has been able to escape serving a full prison sentence. Currently being held behind bars at the infamous Rikers Island prison in New York, Weinstein’s New York retrial is expected to start this coming September, with many anxiously anticipating if the Hollywood mogul will manage to be acquitted of another rape conviction.
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