What Does Weinstein Reversal Mean for #MeToo?

Good morning. It’s Friday. Today we’ll look at the decision overturning Harvey Weinstein’s conviction on sex crime charges. We’ll also find out about an illegal cannabis dispensary that got a legal license.

Credit…Hilary Swift for The New York Times

Harvey Weinstein’s conviction on felony sex crime charges was overturned by New York’s top court — a stunning reversal in the fundamental case of the #MeToo era. I asked Jan Ransom, a Metro reporter who covered Weinstein’s trial in 2020, to explain the decision.

How much of a surprise was the decision from the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals?

The case against Harvey Weinstein was a shaky one to begin with.

We saw evidence of cracks in the case long before it made its way to trial. A detective had failed to turn over important evidence to Manhattan prosecutors. A judge ended up dismissing part of the indictment, and evidence emerged undermining the allegation of one of the accusers at the time. All were circumstances that seemed to force the prosecutors to get creative, and I think led to an overreliance on witnesses who said Weinstein had assaulted them, but whose accusations were not the basis for any of the charges against him.

But also, the district attorney’s office had hoped that when the charges against Weinstein were announced, there would be a flood of new complaints. That did not happen.