Appeals court upholds Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction, orders resentencing
AP News • • entertainment
Key Points:
- A California appeals court upheld Harvey Weinstein’s 2022 rape and sexual assault conviction but ordered a resentencing, citing the trial judge’s improper consideration of dismissed New York convictions as an aggravating factor.
- The court unanimously rejected Weinstein’s claims of constitutional violations and attempts to overturn the jury’s guilty verdicts, affirming the fairness of his trial.
- Weinstein’s defense argued for a new trial based on excluded evidence about the accuser’s relationship with a festival head, but the appeals court found no denial of his right to present a defense and upheld rape shield laws protecting accusers’ sexual history.
- Weinstein remains incarcerated, awaiting sentencing in New York where prosecutors seek a 20-year term; his California sentence will begin after completing the New York sentence.
- The accuser, Evgeniya Chernyshova, publicly identified herself and praised the legal outcome, while Weinstein’s spokesperson indicated plans to seek further review in the California Supreme Court.
