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#MeToo
Last week New York’s highest court ruled the trial judge erred in admitting the testimony of women who were allegedly abused by Weinstein but who were not named in the charges brought against him.
Gloria Allred, a victims’ rights lawyer for Haley, said her client “has not yet taken a decision about whether she will agree to testify in a retrial.”
“The vacating of the conviction was re-traumatizing for her… She’s still thinking about it,” Allred said outside court.
Weinstein would have likely remained in custody anyways because of a conviction for rape in California for which he received a sentence of 16 years.
The once-untouchable Hollywood heavyweight has suffered from a raft of health issues while in prison and has spent time in a secure hospital unit.
Bombshell allegations broke against the Oscar-winning producer in 2017, launching the #MeToo movement, a watershed moment for women fighting sexual misconduct.
The decision to quash the New York convictions rested on prosecutors allowing witnesses to testify despite not being part of the charges – an exception to the normal rules surrounding evidence.
Lawyers said Weinstein’s Los Angeles conviction was unlikely to be affected by the New York reversal.
But Weinstein’s legal team has indicated it now intends to appeal the California conviction.
“If there’s even a whiff he could get bail in California (pending an appeal) he should get it here,” Aidala said outside court “This case is so diminished.”
A civil trial awarded US$17 million to dozens of other women who had accused the former movie magnate of abuse.
Weinstein and his brother Bob co-founded Miramax Films, a distribution company sold to Disney in 1993.
Their hits included 1998’s Shakespeare in Love, for which Weinstein shared a best picture Oscar.
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