#MeToo

Bombshell allegations broke against the Oscar-winning producer in 2017, launching the #MeToo movement that saw more women fighting back against sexual violence and discrimination in the workplace.

The decision to quash the New York convictions rested on the fact the judge allowed prosecutors to rely on so-called “Molineux witnesses,” who were allowed 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, and he is now set to be transferred to a California prison.

Weinstein’s legal team has indicated it now intends to appeal the California conviction.

Following his conviction in New York, 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 named after their mother Miriam and father Max, in 1979. It was sold to Disney in 1993.

Their hits included 1998’s Shakespeare in Love, for which Weinstein shared a best picture Oscar. Over the years, Weinstein’s films received more than 300 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes.