NEW YORK — Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein appealed his 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction to New York’s highest court, arguing his trial judge unfairly permitted prosecutors to introduce testimony about prior incidents of alleged sexual misconduct not charged in the indictment.
In a filing Tuesday with the New York Court of Appeals, Weinstein also argued he was prevented from testifying in his own defense because prosecutors would have then put in evidence of 28 alleged prior incidents and purported “brutish behavior” going back some 30 years.
“This ruling left Weinstein with no choice but to remain silent against his will, as taking the stand would have been the legal equivalent of suicide,” Weinstein’s lawyers said Tuesday in their appeal.
