NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein is due to appear in court in New York on Friday prior to a planned new trial for rape and assault.
The former Hollywood movie mogul’s preliminary hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court will discuss issues related to evidence in the case, including text messages.
At a hearing last week, prosecutors said they expect a new trial in November. They told Judge Curtis Farber that they are still actively pursuing new claims against Weinstein, though prosecutors acknowledge they have not yet presented any findings to a grand jury.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, argued that the investigation was merely a delaying tactic.
New York Supreme Court threw out Weinstein was convicted earlier this year in 2020 after a trial judge improperly allowed testimony against him based on allegations that were not part of the case.
The conviction was considered a milestone in the #MeToo movementan era that began in 2017 amid numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against the once-powerful studio boss behind “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love.”
Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape for attacking an aspiring actress and for forcing himself on a TV and film production assistant in 2006. He denies any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors have said One of the prosecutors in that case, Jessica Mann, is willing to testify against Weinstein again. Gloria AllredAn attorney for the second plaintiff, Mimi Haley, said last week that her client had not yet decided whether to participate in the new trial.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who report sexual abuse unless they agree to be named, as Haley and Mann did.
Weinstein, 72, is being held at Rikers Island. Aidala has said he suffers from diabetes, macular degeneration and fluid in his lungs and heart and has complained that Weinstein is not getting proper medical care in jail.
Weinstein was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and is still serving a 16-year prison sentence in California. In an appeal filed there last month, his lawyers argued He did not receive a fair trial in that case.