Harvey Weinstein is set to make his first court appearance in New York since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week. The preliminary hearing scheduled in Manhattan will cover various matters such as evidence, scheduling, and more, as confirmed by Weinstein's attorney.
Despite being hospitalized shortly after his return to the city jail system, the 72-year-old Weinstein is expected to attend the hearing. He has been undergoing tests due to his cardiac issues and diabetes. The Manhattan District Attorney's office has expressed its intention to retry the case against Weinstein, a process that legal experts anticipate may be lengthy and dependent on the willingness of the women he is accused of assaulting to testify again.
One of the accusers, Mimi Haley, is still contemplating whether she will testify in any potential retrial. Weinstein's attorney plans to propose a trial date post-Labor Day to the judge. In addition to his overturned New York conviction, Weinstein was also convicted of another rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and is serving a 16-year sentence in California.
The New York conviction that was overturned involved charges of rape in the third degree for an incident in 2013 and forcing himself on Haley in 2006. Weinstein had maintained that any sexual activity was consensual. The recent ruling by the New York Court of Appeals, in a 4-3 decision, nullified his 23-year prison sentence due to jurors being exposed to evidence not directly related to the charges.
The decision has evoked mixed reactions, with some expressing shock and disappointment, particularly among those who had supported the #MeToo movement, which brought to light numerous cases of sexual misconduct in Hollywood and beyond.
