Date confirmed for Harvey Weinstein retrial amid new allegations
A judge has scheduled convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein‘s planned retrial on further rape and sexual assault charges for November 12th.
During a brief court appearance on July 19th, in Manhattan, which was delayed by the ongoing global IT outage, Judge Curtis Faber announced that a retrial against the disgraced movie mogul will start with jury selection on November 12th. This follows his 2020 rape and sexual assault convictions being overturned by the Court of Appeals in New York in April.
As well as setting the retrial date, the hearing addressed issues concerning the evidence in the case against Weinstein, and concentrated on information from phones that will be reviewed by an ex-judge to decide whether materials are relevant to the ongoing case and should be passed over to the defence.
At the hearing last week, which announced that Weinstein is being investigated for “additional violent sexual assaults” separate from the previous investigation, prosecutors revealed they were anticipating a November retrial. They also informed Farber that they are actively pursuing new allegations against the former Miramax head but haven’t yet brought findings before a grand jury. Weinstein denies that he’s sexually assaulted anyone.
Weinstein is presently jailed on Rikers Island, but one of his attorneys, Arthur Aidala, has complained that he hasn’t been getting sufficient care there for diabetes, macular degeneration and fluid in his lungs and heart. One of his other attorneys, Diana Fabi Samson, told People outside the courthouse: “He is anxious to go to trial and prove his innocence. Physically, he is not well, and that has affected his mental state”.
The defence says they prefer Weinstein to be moved to Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated after his 2020 rape conviction was dismissed in April.
In 2017, Weinstein was first formally accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse, with allegations dating back 30 years and materialising from over 80 different women in the movie industry. He was found guilty of the charges in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison before it was overturned due to procedural errors.
The court reached the majority decision in April due to the judge allowing women to testify against Weinstein despite their allegations not relating to the case. A 4-3 verdict, the Court of Appeals elected to overturn the 2020 ruling, meaning it would go to a new trial.
Although the case was overturned, Weinstein has remained incarcerated as a result of the separate trial in Los Angeles, in which he was found guilty of rape and sexual assault, and sentenced to 16 years behind bars in 2023. The further charges he faces in New York could lead to further imprisonment.
This is a developing story.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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