Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced former Hollywood mogul, is set to face a retrial in New York after his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by the state’s highest court.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed the decision during a court hearing on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Weinstein, 72, appeared in court before Judge Curtis Farber, marking his first appearance in more than four years since his initial conviction.
Prosecutors reaffirmed their commitment to retrying the case, stating that they believe in the strength of the evidence.
“There was nothing consensual about this conduct,” prosecutor Nicole Blumberg asserted. “We believe in this case and will be retrying this case.”
Weinstein, who appeared in a wheelchair, had been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in Rome, New York, before being transferred to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan following the court’s decision last week.
Judge Farber remanded Weinstein back into custody, indicating that a new trial is expected after the Labor Day holiday in September but did not set a firm date.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, expressed relief at the prospect of a retrial, stating:
“There’s a tremendous sense of relief that we’re back here.”
In his 2020 trial, Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting Miriam Haley in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann in 2013. However, the New York Court of Appeals found that allowing testimony about alleged sexual assaults not part of the criminal charges against him violated his right to a fair trial.
Weinstein, who has consistently denied non-consensual sexual encounters, faces a separate 16-year sentence following his rape conviction in California.
With Judge James Burke, who presided over the original trial, no longer on the bench, any retrial in New York will be overseen by a different judge.
Weinstein, once a powerful figure in the film industry as the co-founder of Miramax, has faced allegations of sexual misconduct from more than 80 women. His eponymous film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018 amidst the scandal.
