Harvey Weinstein accusers react with disgust as court overturns his rape conviction: ‘This is a major step back’

Prosecutors for Harvey Weinstein have responded after New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned his 2020 rape conviction.

Douglas H. Wigdor, who represented two of the witnesses at the New York trial, called the court’s decision a “step back in holding accountable those responsible for acts of sexual violence.”

He added: “Courts routinely admit evidence of other uncharged acts when helping juries understand issues regarding the suspect’s modus operandi or plan.

“The jury was instructed as to the relevance of this testimony and the overturning of the verdict is tragic as it will require the victims to endure another trial.”

Actress Katherine Kendall, another of Weinstein’s accusers, said she was “stunned” by the decision.

Katherine Kendall, one of Weinstein’s accusers, said she was “stunned” by the decision

She told The New York Times that it was “a terrible reminder that victims of sexual violence simply don’t get justice.”

“I have been completely let down by the justice system right now,” Kendall added.

The court found that the judge in the landmark #MeToo trial had biased the ex-movie mogul with “blatantly” inappropriate statements, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that were not part of the case.

“We conclude that the trial court improperly admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the court’s 4-3 decision said. “The remedy for these glaring errors is a new trial.”

It is unclear whether the ruling will free him from prison as he still has a conviction in Los Angeles for a separate rape.

Actress Ashley Judd, one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein of rape, also spoke out against the court’s decision on Thursday, saying it is unfair to survivors.

‘We still live in our truth. And we know what happened,” she told The New York Times.

The Supreme Court’s ruling reopens a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures — an era that began in 2017 with a flood of accusations against Weinstein. His accusers could once again be forced to retell their stories on the witness stand.

A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said, “We will do everything in our power to retry this case and remain steadfast in our commitment to sexual assault survivors.”

Weinstein, 72, is serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison following his conviction on charges of criminal sexual act for forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and third-degree rape for an assault on an aspiring actress in 2013.

Actress Ashley Judd, one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein of rape, also spoke out against the court’s decision on Thursday, saying it is unfair to survivors.

Weinstein became the face of the #MeToo movement after dozens of women, including Jessica Mann (pictured in 2020), came forward alleging sexual abuse

The New York Court of Appeals ruled that the disgraced film producer did not receive a fair trial. Pictured: Prosecutor Mimi Haleyi faces sentencing in New York in 2020

He remains imprisoned because he was convicted of another rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Weinstein was acquitted in Los Angeles on charges leveled by one of the women who testified in New York.

Weinstein attorney Arthur Aidala said immediately after the verdict was announced: “We all worked very hard and this is a tremendous victory for every criminal defendant in New York State.”

The producers’ disgraced attorneys argued Judge James Burke’s rulings in favor of the plaintiff who changed the trial to “1-800-GET-HARVEY.”

The overturning of Weinstein’s conviction is the second major #MeToo setback in the past two years, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a Pennsylvania court decision to overturn Bill Cosby’s sex abuse conviction explain.

Weinstein’s conviction lasted more than four years, was heralded as a landmark case by activists and advocates, but was just as quickly dissected by his lawyers and later by the Court of Appeals when it heard arguments on the case in February.

A total of six women took to the stage to tell harrowing stories of alleged abuse, including model Tarale Wulff, pictured during the 2020 trial

Weinstein, pictured with ex-wife Georgina Chapman in happier times, was a titan of the film industry before sexual abuse allegations made him the face of the #MeToo movement

Accusations against Weinstein, the once powerful and feared studio boss behind Oscar winners such as Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love, ushered in the #MeToo movement.

Dozens of women came forward to accuse Weinstein, including famous actresses like Ashley Judd and Uma Thurman. His trial in New York was highly publicized, with protesters outside the courthouse chanting “rapist.”

Weinstein is incarcerated in New York at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles northwest of Albany.

He maintains his innocence. He claims that any sexual activity was consensual.