Court Upholds Harvey Weinstein's California Rape Conviction

California court upholds Weinstein's rape conviction, affirming 2022 verdict but ordering a new sentencing hearing.

Harvey Weinstein in wheelchair in court as California appeals court upholds 2022 rape conviction

A California appeals court has upheld Harvey Weinstein's 2022 rape conviction. The judges said the former Hollywood producer was properly found guilty, but they want a lower court to sentence him again.

The unanimous decision came this week. The panel rejected the defence claim that the trial judge unfairly limited testimony. Instead, it ruled that the jury had enough evidence to convict, but pointed to procedural errors during sentencing.

Weinstein, 73, is currently serving a 16-year prison term in California for that 2022 case. He will stay behind bars while the resentencing is arranged. His lawyers had argued the judge blocked key evidence, but the appeals court did not agree with that part of the appeal.

This California ruling stands apart from his messy New York history. Weinstein was first convicted in New York in 2020, but that verdict was overturned in 2024 over how the judge handled testimony about past acts.

After a retrial in 2025, a New York jury found him guilty of a criminal sexual act against Miriam Haley, but deadlocked on the rape charge involving Jessica Mann. A third trial in May 2026 also ended with a hung jury.

Last Thursday, New York prosecutors finally dropped that remaining rape charge. Jessica Mann told the district attorney she could not face a fourth trial, and the judge formally dismissed the case. Weinstein still has a sexual felony conviction in New York, so he remains in custody.

The appeals court did not set a new sentence. It sent the case back to the Los Angeles trial court to fix the errors and pronounce a fresh term. Prosecutors have previously pushed for a lengthy sentence, while Weinstein's team says his age and health should be considered.

Weinstein continues to deny all allegations of non-consensual sex. He appeared in recent New York hearings in a wheelchair, showing little emotion as charges were dropped.

What happens next is simple: California will resentence him, New York will not retry him on the Mann charge, and he will remain in prison on both coasts while further appeals play out.

The ruling keeps the #MeToo-era case alive in the courts, and it reminds survivors and the public that convictions can survive appeal, even when the punishment does not.