Former film producer Harvey Weinstein He is scheduled to be tried again in September in New York. The decision was confirmed a week after the court overturned, due to a formal defect, the rape conviction imposed on him in 2020.
Weinstein returned to the New York Supreme Court on Wednesday in custody, handcuffed and in a wheelchair, listening in silence as the defense and prosecution spoke. In favor of repeating the trial.
The businessman's condition was seen deteriorating due to the “serious health problems” he suffers from, according to his lawyer, which forced him to enter the hospital and undergo some tests last Saturday.
Judge Curtis Farber announced that the hearing would be held “sometime” after Labor Day, on September 2 in the United States, and ordered Weinstein’s execution. Remain in pretrial detention He was also sentenced to 16 years in prison for another violation, which was handed down by a California court.
And the parties remained Held on May 29 To take up the evidence in the case in the New York Supreme Court, the same court in which the trial took place It fueled the #MeToo movement.
Finance Nicole Bloomberg They stressed that they believe in this issue and that they will “try” again because they have “strong” arguments. For his part, the businessman's lawyer said, Arthur AidalaHe was convinced of his client's innocence.
He added: “We are very confident that if he goes to trial, the only words we will hear at the end of the hearing are: 'Not guilty.'
They sentenced him to more than 20 years in prison
The last of 2020 will be Weinstein He was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. Specifically, he was convicted of two of the five sex crimes he was facing: the rape and sexual assault of former actress Jessica Mann in 2013, and the sexual assault of former production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006.
but, He was acquitted of the other three charges: First-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual conduct, felonies that would have opened the door to a life sentence.
Before the trial, the Hollywood producer tried, without success, to reach a settlement to compensate about thirty women who filed lawsuits against him on charges of committing sexual crimes.
A defect in the form nullifies the 2020 ruling
But on Thursday, April 25, the New York Court of Appeals held a hearing This conviction was contradicted due to a defect in the form. The chamber was considered a strong product He did not receive a fair trial.
Aside from the two complainants, the testimony of several women who declared themselves victims of the film producer was accepted. Actions that were not the subject of the investigation, but rather were the goal of the Public Prosecution Prove that Weinstein had a pattern of abuse.
The origin of the “Me Too” movement.
The accusations against this famous producer of films such as “Shakespeare in Love” or “Pulp Fiction” were the origin of the #MeToo movement. That's what Weinstein was One of the most influential people in the film industry Until 2017, when complaints from women began to appear against him, after information from the New York Times.
Since then, dozens of women, including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth PaltrowThey accused Weinstein of harassment, sexual assault or rape. But the statute of limitations has expired in many of these cases.
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