DA Vows Weinstein Retrial After Court Overturns NYC Rape Conviction

NEW YORK CITY — Harvey Weinstein can expect a sequel to a Manhattan sex crime trial that cemented his "Me Too" downfall.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg intends to pursue a retrial after New York Court of Appeals judges Thursday overturned Weinstein's sex crime conviction in a 4-3 decision, a spokesperson said.

"We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The judges' decision stunned many advocates and women who said there were victims of Weinstein's predatory behavior.

A majority of judges found that a Manhattan judge in Weinstein's 2020 trial — a proceeding stemming from accusations that helped launch the "Me Too" movement — erroneously admitted testimony from three women who accused the producer of sexual misconduct.

Those women's "untested" accusations had not led to charges, but nonetheless were used wrongly used to undermine Weinstein, who ultimately was convicted of assaulting two other women, according to the opinion.

"Thus, it is an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant’s character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges lodged against them," the opinion states.

"The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial."

Weinstein will remain behind bars because another conviction in Los Angeles, for which he was sentenced to 16 years in prison, stands. He's currently in Mohawk Correctional Facility, where he was to serve the 23-year sentence that the judges overturned.

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