Harvey Weinstein's rape and criminal sexual act convictions were upheld by an appellate court in New York on Thursday, leaving his 23 year prison sentence in place as he awaits a separate sexual assault trial in California.

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The Manhattan Criminal Court will hear Harvey Weinstein's case in February 2020.

AFP via Getty Images

Several Weinstein accusers who weren't formally part of the criminal case shouldn't have been allowed to testify because they tried Weinstein's character.

In a Thursday decision, a panel of five judges from the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division rejected Weinstein's arguments.

The decision upholds a monumental conviction that changed the way prosecutors and courts approach complex prosecutions of sexual predator, according to a statement from the Manhattan District Attorney.

The team is disappointed and sad for Mr. Weinstein, and they will study every option available, including going to the New York Court of Appeals.

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The New Yorker and the New York Times published stories from multiple women who said they were sexually harassed by Weinstein and believed their careers would suffer if they spoke out against him. The revelations led to a wave of sexual harassment reports against powerful men. A jury in Manhattan found Weinstein guilty of raping a woman at a hotel in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on another woman in 2006 and sentenced him to life in prison. He was found not guilty of first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault. Weinstein denied the allegations against him.

A trial could begin later this year after Weinstein was indicted on sexual assault charges. Weinstein denied the charges.

Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison.