One of Harvey Weinstein‘s legal cases has taken an unexpected turn.
The New York Court of Appeals announced April 25 that the disgraced film producer’s 2020 rape conviction has been overturned, ordering a new trial for Weinstein, who was previously sentenced to 23 years in prison in the case.
In the decision, obtained by E! News, the state’s highest court concluded that the “trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes because that testimony served no material non-propensity purpose.”
Shortly after the announcement was made public, Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala told the New York Times the decision was “not just a victory for Mr. Weinstein, but for every criminal defendant in the state of New York, and we compliment the Court of Appeals for upholding the most basic principles that a criminal defendant should have in a trial.”