'I am so Sorry': Harvey Weinstein's Overturned Rape Conviction is 'a Leap Backward,' Victims' Attorney Sounds Off on Ruling
The New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction on sex crimes against three women in a shocking 4-3 opinion on Thursday.
Reactions to Harvey Weinstein's overturned rape conviction continue to roll in after the New York Court of Appeals announced its decision. Attorney Lindsay Goldbrum whose client testified about being sexually assaulted by Weinstein during his East Coast criminal trial, told RadarOnline.com the decision "casts a dark shadow" on the bravery of the accusers who stood up against the Hollywood powerhouse, sharing she fears this will "deter" future victims from coming forward.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction was overturned by The New York Court of Appeals on Thursday.
As this outlet reported, The New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction on sex crimes against three women in a shocking 4-3 opinion on Thursday, determining the trial judge "erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes."
The court announced the testimony "served no material non-propensity purpose" and "portrayed defendant in a highly prejudicial light."
Goldbrum, an attorney at Outten & Golden LLP, represented six Weinstein accusers, including Taralê Wulff, a victim who took the stand as a Molineux witness during his criminal trial, told RadarOnline.com, “This ruling is a leap backward for the rule of law."
She charged, "Molineux witnesses play a critical role in establishing a defendant’s common scheme or plan to commit alleged crimes. When a defendant is accused of being a sexual predator, especially one as powerful as Weinstein, the testimony of Molineux witnesses is crucial to disproving the defense that sexual encounters were consensual."
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office revealed its plan to retry Weinstein if alleged victims are willing to come forward again.
Goldbrum praised the three Molineux witnesses who bravely testified against the Hollywood movie producer and apologized to them about the ruling.
“The three brave women who testified as Molineux witnesses had nothing to gain personally from participating in the trial. Their only goal was to give a voice to dozens of other women who suffered so much. Today’s ruling unfortunately casts a dark shadow on their bravery and will undoubtedly deter future sexual assault victims from coming forward," she shared.
“To all victims of sexual assault who are retraumatized by today’s ruling, I am so sorry.”
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The Manhattan DA said they will retry the case if accusers are willing to come forward again.
Her statement mirrors the reaction from Douglas H. Wigdor, a lawyer who represented eight Weinstein victims, including the other two Molineux witnesses at the NY criminal trial.
He told RadarOnline.com: “Today’s decision is a major step back in holding those accountable for acts of sexual violence. Courts routinely admit evidence of other uncharged acts where they assist juries in understanding issues concerning the intent, modus operandi or scheme of the defendant. The jury was instructed on the relevance of this testimony and overturning the verdict is tragic in that it will require the victims to endure yet another trial.”
Judd, who was one of the first actresses to come forward back in 2017, had plenty to say about the decision.
Weinstein was convicted of felony sex crimes and sentenced to 23 years in state prison in 2020. During the trial, he was accused of “forcibly performing oral sex” on an assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on an actress in 2013. Actress Ashley Judd came forward as one of the first high-profile ladies to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment.
She had plenty to say about today's ruling, which the DA plans to retry.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office revealed its plan to retry Weinstein if alleged victims are willing to come forward again.
"We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault," a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement to ABC News.
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