Harvey Weinstein accusers Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Mira Sorvino react with disgust as court overturns his rape conviction

Harvey Weinstein accusers including California first Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom and actress Mira Sorvino have reacted after New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned his  2020 rape conviction.

'This is a very sad day for countless women who suffered at the hands of a serial predator,' Siebel Newsom, who testified against Weinstein in California as one of his victims, said on Thursday. 

'Two juries have said unequivocally: Harvey Weinstein must never be able to rape another woman, and he deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Harvey Weinstein is a serial predator and rapist.'

Governor Gavin Newsom's wife also said the Oscar-winner's 'criminal trial in Los Angeles was one of the most horrific experiences' of her life.'

She added: 'Throughout the trial, Weinstein’s lawyers used brute sexism, misogyny, and bullying tactics to intimidate, demean, and ridicule survivors along with our allies.

'This is a very sad day for countless women who suffered at the hands of a serial predator,' Jennifer Newsom, who testified, told DailyMail.com.

Mia Sorvino, one of the first actresses who claimed she was victimized by the former mogul, called the court's decision 'horrifying'

Harvey Weinstein accusers have reacted after New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned his 2020 rape conviction

'Yet, the bravery of the women who came forward ensures that regardless of what happens in New York, Weinstein will die in prison. Most men are good men -- it’s the serial perpetrators of violence against women who are the harm to our society. I am so proud of all who risked so much to speak their truth. To all survivors out there – I see you, I hear you, and I will always stand with you.'

The court found the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial in 2020 prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with 'egregious' improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.

'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.'

Mia Sorvino, one of the first actresses who claimed she was victimized by the former mogul, called the court's decision 'horrifying.'

She wrote: 'Harvey Weinstein’s conviction overturned, due partly to Molineux witnesses testifying to prior bad acts, like lioness Annabella Sciorra.

'Since when don’t courts allow evidence of pattern of prior bad acts to be admitted?He’s a prolific serial predator who raped/harmed 200+women!Disgusted w/justice system skew towards predators not victims.'

Katherine Kendall, one of Weinstein's accusers, said she was 'flabbergasted' at the decision

Meanwhile Douglas H. Wigdor, who represented two of the witnesses at the New York trial, called the court's decision a 'step back in holding those accountable for acts of sexual violence.

He added: 'Courts routinely admit evidence of other uncharged acts where they assist juries in understanding issues concerning the modus operandi or scheme of the defendant. 

'The jury was instructed on the relevance of this testimony and overturning the verdict is tragic in that it will require the victims to endure yet another trial.'

Actress Katherine Kendall, another of Weinstein's accusers, said she was 'flabbergasted' at the decision.

She told The New York Times it was 'a terrible reminder that victims of sexual assault just don’t get justice.' 

'I’m completely let down by the justice system right now,' Kendall added.

Actress Ashley Judd, one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein of rape, also spoke against the court's decision Thursday, saying it is unfair to survivors.

Actress Ashley Judd, who was one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein of rape, also spoke against the court's decision Thursday, saying it is unfair to survivors

Sarah Kelly, a spokesperson for Weinstein accuser Annabella Sciorra (pictured), shared a statement by the 'Silent Breakers' 

Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala speaks to the press after the conviction was overturned

'We still live in our truth. And we know what happened,' she told The New York Times.

Model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, who accused Weinstein of groping her, said: 'If the D.A. had taken my case seriously in 2015, we wouldn’t be here. 

'This is an ongoing failure of the justice system — and the courts — to take survivors seriously and to protect our interests.'

Meanwhile accuser Louise Gobold, who did not testify in the NY trial, told Variety that  'sometimes seems as if the legal system operates in a parallel universe.'

She added: 'Everyone knows Harvey is a sexual predator and that he harmed countless women. And yet, today his conviction in NY was overturned. 

'People are reassuring us this morning that he still has his Los Angeles conviction to serve, but that doesn’t prevent me from shaking with shock and outrage.'

The state Court of Appeals ruling reopens a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures — an era that began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein. His accusers could again be forced to retell their stories on the witness stand.

Sarah Kelly, a spokesperson for Weinstein accuser Annabella Sciorra, shared a statement by the 'Silent Breakers' - Weinstein accusers including Judd and Rose McGowen who were featured as TIME'S person of the year 2017.

'But this ruling does not diminish the validity of our experiences or our truth; it's merely a setback. The man found guilty continues to serve time in a California prison,' the statement read.

'When survivors everywhere broke their silence in 2017, the world changed. We continue to stand strong and advocate for that change. We will continue to fight for justice for survivors everywhere.'

A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney's office said: 'We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault.'

Meanwhile, defense attorney Mark Werksman, who defended Weinstein in the LA case, told DailyMail.com 'This is a great outcome and the right result.'

Weinstein became the face of the #MeToo movement after dozens of women, including Jessica Mann (pictured in 2020)  came forward alleging sexual abuse

'We faced the same fundamental unfairness in the Los Angeles case where the judge allowed the jury to hear evidence about four uncharged and unproven allegations of sexual assault,' Werskman said in a statement.

'It’s impossible to get a fair trial when the prosecution’s case consists of more uncharged acts than charged. The case here should be reversed in the same fashion as the New York case.’

Werksman said the NY DA will have 30 or 60 days to decide to refile charges against Weinstein. If the case is dismissed, Weinstein will then be transferred back to LA to serve his 16-year sentence while his appeal in CA is going through the process. The trial briefs have yet to be filed on that appeal, he said.

When asked what the chances are the CA court of appeals could also overturn the lower court’s decision in the LA case, Werksman replied, ‘We are optimistic and certainly a positive the Court of Appeal in New York saw that he didn’t get a fair trial. We hope the California Court of Appeal will reach the same conclusion.’

Werksman said he has not spoken to Weinstein today, but said they talk every now and then. ‘He’s hanging in there, and you know, he’s trying to look forward to a future when these cases against him will be dismissed.’

When asked how Weinstein’s health is doing, Werksman said, ‘He’s had some health difficulties and I don’t imagine they’ve gotten any better while he’s been in custody for the past years, but obviously, he’s suffered from some serious health complications.’

Weinstein, 72, has been serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison following his conviction on charges of criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on an aspiring actress in 2013.

The New York Court of Appeals ruled that the disgraced movie producer did not receive a fair trial. Pictured: Accuser Mimi Haleyi walking into his sentencing in New York in 2020

He will remain imprisoned because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Weinstein was acquitted in Los Angeles on charges involving one of the women who testified in New York.

Weinstein lawyer Arthur Aidala said immediately after the ruling came out: 'We all worked very hard and this is a tremendous victory for every criminal defendant in the state of New York.'

The disgraced producers lawyers argued Judge James Burke’s rulings in favor of the prosecution turned the trial into '1-800-GET-HARVEY.'

The reversal of Weinstein’s conviction is the second major #MeToo setback in the last two years, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a Pennsylvania court decision to throw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction.

Weinstein’s conviction stood for more than four years, heralded by activists and advocates as a milestone achievement, but dissected just as quickly by his lawyers and, later, the Court of Appeals when it heard arguments on the matter in February.

In total, six women took to the stand to give harrowing accounts of alleged abuse including model Tarale Wulff, pictured at the trial in 2020

Weinstein, pictured with ex-wife Georgina Chapman in happier times, was a titan of the movie industry before allegations of sexual abuse made him the face of the #MeToo movement

Allegations against Weinstein, the once powerful and feared studio boss behind such Oscar winners as Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love, ushered in the #MeToo movement. 

Dozens of women came forward to accuse Weinstein, including famous actresses such as Ashley Judd and Uma Thurman. His New York trial drew intense publicity, with protesters chanting 'rapist' outside the courthouse.

Weinstein is incarcerated in New York at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Albany.

He maintains his innocence. He contends any sexual activity was consensual.