Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers to appeal against rape conviction, sentence: Reports

Los Angeles [US], February 25 (ANI): Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison on Thursday, but his lawyers will continue to fight for him to have a life outside of jail, pledging to appeal his Los Angeles conviction.

According to Variety, Weinstein’s defence team, led by Mark Werksman and Alan Jackson, is completing its notice of appeal. Variety has learnt that they want to submit it as soon as the middle of next week. Juda Engelmayer, Weinstein’s spokeswoman, told Variety that the actor had an unfair trial. He said, “This whole process has been alarming and awful for our society.”

“The media coverage has been driven by a seemingly popular appeal, which I believe has led to biased legal and judicial processes by people more concerned about their political and professional lives, or their own extreme ideologies, than truly being arbiters of justice. Harvey Weinstein was the symbol, and truth or facts didn’t matter. He is universally reviled, so it was determined that fairness shouldn’t matter…That’s what this societal shift has caused: Just get him at any cost, no matter how laws and due process be damned. That’s a scary and slippery slope for us all.”

Weinstein, who is 70 years old, will probably spend the remainder of his life in prison after adding 16 years to his 23-year term in New York. His defence team on the east coast is also challenging his New York conviction in addition to his Los Angeles conviction. Weinstein’s case will be heard by the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.

Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence in New York, after being convicted of rape and sexual assault in that jurisdiction in his 2020 criminal trial, reported Variety.

All three charges on which Weinstein was convicted were based on the counts relating to Jane Doe, a European model who testified she was raped by Weinstein at Mr C Hotel after the L.A. Italia Film Festival in 2013, reported Variety.

Weinstein has been accused by more than 100 women who have publicly come forward with allegations of sexual assault, abuse and harassment that have spanned decades. His monumental fall was triggered by #MeToo in 2017, and the story of his survivors coming forward even inspired a major studio film, “She Said,” which was released in theatres last year.

Weinstein has consistently maintained his innocence, denying any accusations of rape or assault, and his legal team has repeatedly stated that their client has unfairly been painted as the poster boy of the #MeToo movement.