Harvey Weinstein’s L.A. Conviction Could Be Vulnerable Due to N.Y. Ruling
variety.comGene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Harvey Weinstein was already effectively serving a life sentence when he was flown to Los Angeles to face his second trial on rape and sexual assault charges.
That second conviction is now the only thing keeping him in prison, after the New York Court of Appeals overturned his original verdict in a 4-3 ruling on Thursday.
The court’s ruling could now be used to bolster the appeal in California, which, if successful, could set the former Hollywood producer free. “At the time the jury was deciding the evidence in California, they were working under the assumption and the belief that he had properly been convicted in New York,” said Jennifer Bonjean, the attorney who is handling Weinstein’s California appeal. “Now we know that’s not true.” The Los Angeles jury was informed of Weinstein’s earlier conviction during the trial, and it also came up during jury selection.
It was also a factor in his 16-year sentence. Bonjean is due to file her brief at California’s 2nd Appellate District on May 20.
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