Weinstein, 72, will remain in prison because he was convicted in LOs Angeles in 2022 of another rape. But the New York 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 allegations against Weinstein.
While Thursday’s ruling was a blow to #MeToo advocates, they noted it was based on legal technicalities and not an exoneration of Weinstein's behavior, saying the original trial irrevocably moved the cultural needle on attitudes about sexual assault.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it intends to retry Weinstein, and his accusers could again be forced to retell their stories on the witness stand.
The state Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s 23-year sentence in a 4-3 decision, finding that “the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts." The court's majority called this “an abuse of judicial discretion."
