Survivors may have to retestify after Weinstein rape verdict overturned | First Thing

New York appeals court has thrown out 2020 conviction, but disgraced movie mogul is staying jailed from separate rape conviction. Plus, scheme launched for reparations to Ukrainian sexual violence survivors

Good morning.

The disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for sexual crimes was overturned by a New York appeals court on Thursday. Prosecutors intend to retry the case.

What did the ruling say? “We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes.”

What was Weinstein’s prison term? He got 23 years in 2020 for two sex crimes: forcing oral sex on a production assistant in 2006 as well as rape in the third degree of an actor in 2013. In total, more than 80 women accused Weinstein of various acts of sexual assault and harassment.

Does this mean he’ll walk free? No. Weinstein, 72, will remain imprisoned because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. But we can expect a rerun of the New York case.

Here’s what makes the scheme so significant: It will be the first time survivors have been awarded reparations during an active conflict, according to the Global Survivors Fund (GSF), which is administering the project with Ukraine using funds from donor governments.

This is what we know about who was impacted: GSF estimates thousands of Ukrainians were impacted, but the total number suffering sexual violence by occupying troops is unknown, as most survivors do not report the crimes.

Go deeper: Check out this gripping story about the Ukrainian investigators closing in on Russian war criminals.