Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein is staying put in prison.
An appeals court on Thursday upheld Weinstein's sex crimes conviction more than two years after he was found guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. His 23-year sentence was also upheld.
Weinstein's attorneys argued that other women who accused him of sexual assault, but whose allegations he wasn't charged with, shouldn't have been allowed to testify during the trial. Their testimony was intended to establish a pattern of behavior by Weinstein. "Simply put, the prosecution tried Weinstein's character not his conduct," the lawyers argued, The New York Times reported.
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But the appeals court said testimony from the other women aimed to show that Weinstein's "goal at all times was to position the women in such a way that he could have sex with them" regardless of whether they consented, and it was "helpful" for the jury to learn that "each of the women reacted negatively to defendant's advances," showing that Weinstein "knew that a woman would not consent to having sex with him merely as a quid pro quo for the assistance he could provide them in their professional career."
Weinstein's attorney told the Times he will now ask the New York Court of Appeals to review the case. He's also facing an upcoming second rape trial in Los Angeles, where he was extradited last year. A date for the trial hasn't been set.
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