Harvey Weinstein's sex crime conviction overturned by New York appeals court

Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction on felony sex crime charges was overturned Thursday morning by New York's highest court.

The New York Court of Appeals ruled 4-3 that the trial judge who presided over the foundational case of the #MeToo era made a crucial mistake by allowing prosecutors to call a series of women as witnesses who testified that the film producer had assaulted them but whose accusations were not among the charges against him, reported the New York Times.

The appellate court found that decision and other errors had violated Weinstein's right to a fair trial, adding that he was tried for past behavior rather than solely for the crimes with which he was charged.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is currently trying former president Donald Trump for falsifying business records, is to decide whether to seek a retrial for Weinstein.

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The 71-year-old Weinstein is currently serving a prison sentence in Rome, New York, and he was also sentenced in 2022 to 16 years in prison in California after he was convicted of raping a woman at a Beverly Hills hotel.

More than 100 women have accused Weinstein, once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, of sexual misconduct.