Harvey Weinstein to appeal 2020 rape conviction

Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein and his lawyers are to appeal his March 2020 rape conviction on Wednesday.

Weinstein's lawyers are arguing for an appeal in New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals, in Albany to overturn the existing verdict.

Weinstein received a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting TV & film production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006.

The disgraced mogul was also charged with the third-degree rape of hairstylist and aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013.

In January 2023, Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, argued the producer never received a “fair trial” due to “legally insufficient charges."

The New York Court of Appeals later agreed to take on Weinstein's appeal last year.

Weinstein’s legal team has raised issues with Supreme Court Justice James Burke’s handling of the 2020 trial and his decision not to remove a juror who wrote a book on creepy old men from the trial.

According to the Associated Press, Weinstein’s lawyers are also arguing Judge Burke “succumbed” to the pressure of the #MeToo movement.