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The documents were filed on Easter Monday: More than a year after his sex crime conviction, former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has appealed.

Weinstein's attorneys state in their 166-page letter to the New York court, among other things, that the convicted “Pulp Fiction” producer was denied a fair trial.

A New York jury jury found Weinstein guilty of rape in a minor case and serious sexual assault in February 2020.

The following month, Judge James Burke sentenced Weinstein to 23 years in prison.

The defense attorneys accuse him of influencing the outcome of the trial by repeatedly ruling in favor of the prosecutor.

So he allowed the testimony of additional accused women about allegations that never resulted in charges.

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"The American criminal justice system was designed to convict defendants on the basis of their behavior - not on the basis of their general character," the appeal reads.

The lawyers also accuse a jury of bias.

The woman had written a book about older men chasing after younger women.

"The consequences for Mr. Weinstein were disastrous"

The attorneys also criticize the presiding judge Burke having imposed an "unreasonably harsh and exaggerated" sentence against Weinstein.

Weinstein "had a right to a fair trial by an impartial jury," lawyers Barry Kamins, John Leventhal and Diana Fabi-Samson continue

The court should have carefully protected this most important right of the accused.

Instead, the court handled this obligation carelessly.

"The consequences for Mr. Weinstein were disastrous."

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The founder of the Miramax film studio is serving his sentence in a prison in New York State.

He was expected to appeal.

The New York case was about sexual assault against two women.

Weinstein is also awaiting trial in Los Angeles on charges of rape and sexual assault of five women in California.

The Los Angeles prosecutor has already requested Weinstein's transfer from New York to California, but this has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A total of around 90 women, including well-known actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and Gwyneth Paltrow, accused Weinstein of sexual harassment or violence.

The news of the allegations triggered the worldwide #MeToo movement against sexual violence against women in autumn 2017.