Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 Rape Conviction Overturned: What Happens Next?

New York's highest court on Thursday overturned the 2020 rape conviction of Harvey Weinstein. The court found that the trial judge in the rape case prejudiced Weinstein with "improper rulings," including permitting three other women (who were not part of the case) to testify that the producer had assaulted them as well. The judgement comes as a setback for the #MeToo survivors whose public testimonies had taken social media by storm, snowballing into a huge movement and voicing concerns of scores of women across the world.

Here is what you need to know about Weinstein's 2020 rape case, which ushered in the era of the #MeToo movement:  

Why was the 2020 rape case tossed?

First, let's understand why the rape conviction was tossed by New York's highest court. The case was tossed owing to the "improper rulings" made by the then judge by unfairly allowing testimony against Weinstein based on allegations that weren’t part of the case. In its 4-3 decision, the court's majority said that it was an "abuse of judicial discretion". Not just this, Weinstein's attorney had argued that Judge James Burke influenced the trial by permitting the prosecutors to confront the 72-year-old producer.

After the ruling, the question that arises is, will Weinstein be released?

Will Harvey Weinstein be released from jail?

The ex-movie mogul, who has been serving time in New York's Mohawk Correctional Facility, will remain imprisoned as he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 in a separate rape case. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Italian actor and model Evgeniya Chernyshova had accused Weinstein of rape and sexual assault.

After the judgement was pronounced by New York's highest court, prosecutors from California trial said, "the legal issues identified by the New York Court of Appeal are not present in the Los Angeles County Case.” The state's laws allow for a judge's verdict in letting a witness testify to the defendant.

What happens next?

A spokesperson for the Manhattan District of Attorney's office isn't giving up and will retry Weinstein's rape case. “We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault," read the statement.

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2020 for two rape cases - for allegedly forcing oral sex on a production assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on an actress in 2013.