June 27, 2026, 09:13June 27, 2026, 09:13
An appeals court in California has refused to overturn a previous conviction against Harvey Weinstein, 74, for sex crimes. The three-member panel of judges confirmed the former Hollywood mogul’s 2022 conviction on Friday (local time), but ordered a new sentence to be set.
Harvey Weinstein was found guilty.Image: keystone
At the trial in Los Angeles in December 2022, Weinstein was found guilty of three counts of sex crimes, including rape. The allegations came from four women between 2004 and 2013. Most of the attacks are said to have taken place in hotels in Beverly Hills. In February 2023 he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Lawyers appeal
His lawyers appealed to overturn the distribution. Among other things, they argued that the process was unfair with regard to witness interviews. The appeal court now rejected this, but returned the case to the previous judge, who had then imposed a maximum sentence of eight years on one count. She should redefine the sentence.
Weinstein spokesman Juda Engelmayer expressed his disappointment in a statement that the guilty verdict was upheld. The defense attorneys wanted to take the case to the Supreme Court in California, Engelmayer announced.
Also decision in New York
A day earlier there had been news in New York in another trial against Weinstein. In consultation with actress Jessica Mann, who accused Weinstein of rape, it was decided not to reopen the case, the New York prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Weinstein was accused of raping a man in a Manhattan hotel in 2013. In a trial in 2020, which essentially revolved around two plaintiffs, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison. However, the guilty verdict was surprisingly overturned in 2024 due to procedural errors. The trial was then reopened twice – but in both cases the jury was unable to agree on this charge. In 2025, the jury in New York saw it as proven that Weinstein had committed serious sexual crimes against another woman. The sentence in this case is expected in September.
Since 2017, more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault. The ex-Hollywood mogul denied all allegations in court. His lawyers argue that the sexual contacts were consensual. (hkl/sda/dpa)