Weinstein, 72, will remain in prison due to a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles.

The ruling reopened a painful chapter in the #MeToo movement, which began with allegations against Weinstein in 2017.

#MeToo advocates noted that the decision was based on legal technicalities and not an exoneration of Weinstein's behavior.

The original trial significantly impacted cultural attitudes towards sexual assault.

The Manhattan district attorney announced plans to retry Harvey Weinstein following the New York State Court of Appeals overturning his 23-year sentence.

The court, in a 4-3 decision, ruled that testimony about Weinstein's uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts was erroneously admitted and allowed prejudicial questions about his bad behavior if he had testified.

In a dissent, Judge Madeline Singas criticized the decision as continuing a trend of overturning guilty verdicts in sexual violence cases.

A New York appeals court overturned Harvey Weinstein's conviction for sexual assault and rape, citing errors in the jury instructions.

The decision was met with dissent from judges who argued it would harm women's safety and undermine progress against sex crimes.

This is the second major setback for the #MeToo movement in the last two years, as the US Supreme Court also refused to hear an appeal of Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction.

Weinstein, who has been in prison since 2019 for assaulting a production assistant and an aspiring actor, was acquitted of the most serious charges.

He is currently serving a 16-year sentence in California for other sexual assault cases.

Weinstein's lawyers are anticipating that a recent ruling in New York, which overturned his conviction for a rape case due to the use of evidence of uncharged conduct, will significantly impact the appeal of his Los Angeles rape conviction.

They argue that the California prosecution's use of this evidence unfairly influenced the jury and violated Weinstein's presumption of innocence.

Weinstein's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, stated that the New York ruling is a victory for all criminal defendants in the state.

However, Douglas H.

Wigdor, an attorney representing eight Harvey Weinstein accusers, disagrees and considers it a major step back, as it goes against the common practice of allowing evidence of uncharged acts to help jurors understand a defendant's criminal behavior.

A prominent attorney, Debra Katz, who represented several accusers of Harvey Weinstein, expressed disappointment over the not-guilty verdict but believed their testimonies had a significant impact on the world.

She predicted Weinstein would be convicted at a retrial and expressed comfort for accusers like Dawn Dunning, who felt shocked and dealt with emotions of doubt after the ruling.

Dunning, a former actor and supporting witness, had spent two years going through the legal process.

A woman reflected on her experience of confronting Harvey Weinstein, expressing that despite the challenges, she would do it again.

Weinstein's conviction in 2020 was significant for the #MeToo movement, but faced challenges in the courts.

Weinstein, a former powerful studio boss, was accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women, including Ashley Judd and Uma Thurman.

The New York trial received widespread attention, with protests outside the courthouse.

Ashley Judd commented on the experience of being a woman in America and dealing with male entitlement.

Harvey Weinstein, currently incarcerated at Mohawk Correctional Facility, denies sexual misconduct allegations and claims any encounters were consensual.

His lawyers argued that his 2020 trial, presided over by Judge James Burke, was unfair due to the inclusion of testimony from three women whose claims were not part of the charges.

Burke's term ended in 2022, and he is no longer a judge.

The lawyers also disputed the judge's ruling that prosecutors could bring up Weinstein's history of aggressive behavior during the trial.

The Court of Appeals in New York ruled that Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of sexual assault, could not have evidence of prior bad acts introduced during his trial for the sole purpose of establishing his propensity for criminality.

Weinstein had wanted to testify but did not due to the potential damage to his character from the testimony.

The court called the allegations against Weinstein "appalling, shameful, repulsive conduct," but warned against destroying a defendant's character.

The court agreed to hear Weinstein's case after an intermediate appeals court upheld his conviction, and judges on the lower appellate court had raised concerns about the prosecution's use of prejudicial testimony from additional witnesses.

At a news conference, defense attorney Arthur Aidala expressed his belief that the recent decision to drop charges against Harvey Weinstein would lead to more defendants testifying in their trials.

He mentioned Weinstein specifically, stating that the producer had expressed his desire to clear his name and "tell his side of the story." Weinstein reportedly told Aidala that he had been wrongfully imprisoned for something he didn't do.