The internet is furious after Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction was overturned by New York’s highest court on Thursday, April 25. This is being considered a huge setback for the MeToo movement.

“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the court’s 4-3 decision said. “The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.”

According to the court’s majority, “it is an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant’s character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges lodged against them.”

Social media users are furious, with one user saying, “Everyone knew about Harvey Weinstein. Everyone knew about R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, and Jeffrey Epstein. Everyone knew about the Catholic priests. Everyone knew about Donald Trump. I’m so tired of people protecting rich perverts, keeping their dark secrets for decades. So damn tired.”

‘The wealthy in this country live by different rules’

Many echoed her thoughts in the comment section, with one user saying, “Right?? And then our Courts not delivering justice in a timely manner...if at all. Depressing.” “The wealthy in this country live by different rules than the rest of us,” one user said, while another wrote, “This is terrible, although he will always be known as a pervert. Most of the actresses know about his misconduct, yet they used him to become successful.” “Rich folks buy people off. Most Americans will look the other way if you pay them enough,” said one user.

“No one is above the law... this immunity claim is his last gasp to avoid obvious jail time.. it's time for him to go away,” one user said, while another say, “Corruption is off the charts… privileged men protecting privileged men”. “Always on the same page. Why are they always protected?” one user wrote. One wrote, “The rich and/or powerful have always, and will always, close ranks to protect their own.”

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