NEW YORK: Jailed filmmaker Harvey Weinstein filed a long-expected appeal on his rape and sexual assault convictions Monday, kick-starting an attempt to have his 23-year prison sentence quashed.
Lawyers for Weinstein, found guilty last year in a landmark verdict for the #MeToo movement, said in a New York court filing that the “Pulp Fiction” producer was denied a fair trial.
They argue that several women who had accused Weinstein of sexual assault, but whose allegations were not included in the charges, should not have been allowed to testify as so-called prior bad acts witnesses.
“The American criminal justice system was designed to convict defendants based on their conduct – not their general character,” the attorneys wrote.
Weinstein’s lawyers also argue that the impartiality of the jury was compromised by a juror who had written a book about older men preying on younger women.
The film producer’s defense team had tried unsuccessfully to have her dismissed ahead of the trial.
