Denison Forum
Dr. Jim Denison
When news first broke back in 2017 that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein had been accused of repeatedly harassing and sexually abusing women across three decades, it shocked many of those outside the industry and sparked the #metoo movement. By the time he was convicted three years later, a great deal had changed within both Hollywood and the general public regarding how such allegations were handled.
The impact of Weinstein’s indictment and eventual conviction is part of why many found it so troubling when, yesterday morning, New York’s highest court of appeals decided to overturn that conviction. The 4–3 verdict was hotly contested, but the majority eventually concluded that the judge in the original trial erred by allowing witness testimony from women whom Weinstein had previously assaulted but whose accusations were not part of the charges he faced. In so doing, they argued that he prejudiced the jury against Weinstein in a way that was beyond the bounds of the law.
However, before we rush to judgment, a few key details are worth noting. The Rest of The Story Here