Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appeared in New York court on Wednesday, May 1, for the first time since the resounding annulment of one of his convictions for rape and sexual assault, facing prosecutors determined to obtain a new guilty verdict. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said it was committed to retrying Weinstein.
Mr. Weinstein, accused of rape and sexual assault by more than a hundred women and whose behavior sparked the movement
“We believe in this case, which is why Jessica Mann [one of the accusers] is here today,” Manhattan prosecutor Nicole Blumberg immediately said. “We have every reason to believe that the accused will be found guilty again” in a second trial, she added.
A trial erected into a symbol
The annulment of Harvey Weinstein’s conviction in New York was seen as an affront and a step backwards for the movement
The former producer was sentenced to twenty-three years in prison for the sexual assault of former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and the rape of actress Jessica Mann in 2013, after a trial where several other women accusing Harvey Weinstein of similar acts, but who could not be criminally prosecuted, had testified. According to the New York Court of Appeals, testimony from other alleged victims had been admitted “incorrectly” and had “painted a highly prejudicial image” of the accused. According to the court, “the solution to these shocking errors is a new trial.”
The appeals court was divided on the issue, with four judges ruling in favor of the annulment and three against, after a lively debate. “The court continues to thwart the regular victories for which survivors of sexual violence have fought,” lamented Madeline Singas, one of the judges who ruled against the annulment. According to her, women “who carry the trauma of sexual violence” have been “forgotten”. Mimi Haley announced Friday that she plans to testify again if a second trial takes place in New York.
