The retrial in the rape case against Harvey Weinstein, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison for raping actresses and other women, has begun.
According to the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), the formal retrial in the New York Court of Appeals is expected to begin in the coming days, with the court starting the jury selection process on April 15.
The jury selection process is expected to be completed within the next five days, after which the formal retrial of Harvey Weinstein will commence.
The court will select a total of 18 jury members, including 12 judges, to hear the case, after which the retrial will officially begin.
The New York Court of Appeals announced in May 2024 that the rape case in which Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison would be retried.
Before this announcement, in April 2024, the court had overturned Weinstein’s 23-year sentence, ruling that he was convicted on weak evidence and that some witness allegations were not directly related to the charges against him.
Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in March 2020 by a New York court in a rape case involving Jessica Mann, a verdict he had appealed.
Four years after the sentencing, the court nullified the verdict, stating that the conviction was based on insufficient evidence and unrelated allegations.
Despite the 23-year sentence being overturned, Harvey Weinstein remains in prison due to another 16-year sentence in a separate rape case. Therefore, even if he is found not guilty in the retrial and fully acquitted, he will still remain in prison because of the second sentence.
During the retrial, the women and actresses who initially accused Weinstein will testify in court once again.
The first accusations of rape and sexual harassment against Harvey Weinstein surfaced in October 2017. Since then, more than 80 women have accused him, all of which the producer has consistently denied.
The allegations against him sparked the global “#MeToo” movement, leading to similar rape cases being filed against other Hollywood figures, many of whom were also convicted.
