New York Court to Hear Harvey Weinstein Appeal His Conviction on Rape, Sex Crime Charges

The disgraced movie producer was sentenced in March 2020 after several dozen women in the film industry accused him of predatory behavior, sexual harassment and rape. Although many of the charges did not stick, the remaining ones resulted in the producer being sentenced to 23 years in jail.

The New York Court of Appeals has agreed to hear the second appeal by the disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who is trying to challenge his 2020 sentencing to 23 years in prison on sex offence-related charges. Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore ruled on August 24 that Weinstein's lawyers are to be allowed to present their arguments against the sentencing of the producer, saying that "questions of law are involved which ought to be reviewed by the Court of Appeals."

Weinstein's spokesman Juda Engelmayer commented on the Appeals Court decision reiterating the producer's legal team's earlier statements that there was "plenty wrong" with his trial and conviction. The producer maintained his innocence in all five charges against him of which on two he was found guilty by a jury in February 2020.

"I am innocent of these charges, and I am so grateful to my attorneys for working hard and smart on this. Their hard work will help me prove my innocence in the end. I look forward to this opportunity to be heard by the New York Court of Appeals," Weinstein said in his statement for CNN.

Last year, the New York court rejected one his appeal to review the sentence as his legal team insisted that both the judge and the jury on the case were biased.

The case against Weinstein stems from a series of accusations by several dozen women in the film industry that started in October 2017 and prompted the emergence of the #MeToo Movement, that eventually went global. The producer was charged with "rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct" based on the testimonies of two women - his former production assistant Miriam Haley and former actress Jessica Mann.

Weinstein was found guilty on two out of the five criminal charges, namely avoiding predatory sexual assault, which could have resulted in a life sentence for him. The 70-year-old movie mogul was still sentenced to 23 years in prison on the sum of the committed crimes.