NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein He is due back in court in New York on Wednesday for a hearing before his retrial on sex crime charges stemming from his landmark #MeToo case.
The former movie mogul was already facing a new trial on two counts of sex crimes after the state’s highest court overturned his 2020 conviction earlier this year. Then, in September, he received a new charge accusing him of another assault. He has pleaded not guilty.
Weinstein was convicted of charges (which have now been overturned) of forcibly performing oral sex on a film and television production assistant in 2006, and of third-degree rape for an attack on an aspiring actor in 2013. In On the new charge, prosecutors say he forced oral sex on another woman at a Manhattan hotel in the spring of 2006.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has argued in court papers that holding separate trials would be “extraordinarily inefficient” and waste judicial resources. Prosecutors said the cases have significant overlap as they involve similar criminal statutes, witnesses, expert testimony and documentary evidence.
Weinstein’s lawyers have argued in court papers that the cases should remain separate. They said prosecutors are attempting to “broaden the scope” of the court-ordered retrial and transform it into “an entirely new proceeding” by including the new charges.
There is also the question of when Weinstein’s retrial is expected to actually begin.
Faber had tentatively scheduled Weinstein’s trial to begin Nov. 12, but both defense attorneys and prosecutors have expressed concern that the date would not give his side enough time to prepare.
Weinstein has been held at the city’s Rikers Island jail complex and has faced numerous health complications while he is behind bars.
Sexual assault and harassment allegations against Weinstein fueled the #MeToo movement in 2017.
The 72-year-old former producer co-founded the film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company. He produced films such as “Shakespeare in Love” and “The Crying Game.”
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