Ashley Judd Slams 'Unfair' Harvey Weinstein Decision to Overturn Conviction

On Thursday it was announced that an appeals court has overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction. This has sparked a lot of outcry from the public, including actress Ashley Judd, who slammed the decision as "unfair," according to E! News.

"That is unfair to survivors," Judd told The New York Times shortly after the news went public. "We still live in our truth. And we know what happened." Notably, Judd was one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment, back in 2017.

In addition to Judd, actress Amber Tamblyn spoke out, calling the overturning "a loss to the entire community of women who put their lives and careers on the line to speak out." She added, "If there is any good that comes out of this news, hope that it reignites people and their passion to not just say they want equality, not just say they want safety, but to really work towards it."

Allegations of rape and sexual misconduct first emerged against Weinstein, 72, seven years ago, sparking the MeToo movement, in which many Hollywood stars and industry professionals came out to share stories of being harassed and assaulted by high-profile individuals. 

In the 2020 trial, Weinstein was found guilty of third-degree rape for sexually assaulting an actress in 2013, as well as for committing a criminal sex act in 2006 by forcing oral sex on a former production assistant. He was given a prison sentence of 23 years behind bars.

Now, an appeals court has ruled — in a 4-3 decision — that Weinstein should be retried due to the judge who presided over the original case "erroneously" making the mistake of allowing the prosecution to call witnesses whose accusations were not included in the charges against him, as well as allowing Weinstein to be cross-examined over the uncharged allegations.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — who was not in office at the time of Weinstein's original trial — seemed to indicate the office may seek retrial. "We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault," he said.

Weinstein is still behind bars at this time. He was convicted of rape in Los Angeles in 2023 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He's also been hit with two charges of indecent assault in the United Kingdom, and is facing a recently filed sexual lawsuit lawsuit, alongside Madison Square Garden Entertainment CEO James Dolan. Both men have denied the allegations.