Harvey Weinstein’s new trial for rape and sexual assault could begin as early as November 12, according to a new schedule proposed by a judge on Friday.
Weinstein wore an American flag pin on his jacket during a brief court appearance in Manhattan that was delayed more than 90 minutes because of a disruption that affected computers around the world, Judge Curtis Farber said.
In addition to setting a trial date, the hearing addressed issues related to the evidence in the case against the former Hollywood movie mogul, particularly information from the phones. The information will be reviewed by a former judge to determine whether it is relevant to the case or should be returned to defense attorneys.
At a hearing last week, prosecutors said they anticipate a new trial in November. They told Judge Farber they are still considering new charges against Weinstein, while acknowledging they have not yet submitted the results of their investigations to the grand jury.
Weinstein denies sexually assaulting anyone.
His lawyers told the judge they would prefer the trial to start earlier.
“He’s eager to go to court and prove his innocence,” one of Weinstein’s lawyers, Diana Fabi Samson, said outside the courthouse.
Weinstein, 72, is being held at Rikers Island. One of his lawyers, Arthur Aidala, has complained that Weinstein has not received adequate care in prison for diabetes, macular degeneration and fluid in his lungs and heart.
Weinstein’s health raised
Me Aidala was not in court Friday, but another Weinstein attorney, John Esposito, told reporters that in a side conversation with the judge, the defense again raised Weinstein’s medical issues.
Judge Farber made it clear that he would help ensure that Weinstein was properly cared for, to the extent possible, Mr.e Esposito.
The lawyer said Weinstein should be transferred to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where he could receive appropriate medical care so that he would be in a good physical and mental state for his trial.
He was treated in Bellevue for several days after being flown to New York hours after the state’s highest court threw out his 2020 conviction earlier this year. The appeals court wrote that the trial judge improperly allowed testimony against him based on allegations that were not part of the case.
He remains in custody because he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in California after being convicted in a 2022 Los Angeles rape case. In an appeal filed in that case last month, his lawyers argued that he did not receive a fair trial.e Esposito said Friday that he does not expect the appeal in the California case to be resolved for at least a year.
Weinstein’s conviction in New York was seen as a milestone in the #MeToo movement, a movement that began in 2017 amid widespread allegations of sexual misconduct against the powerful former studio boss behind pulp Fiction (Pulpy Fiction) And Shakespeare in Love (Shakespeare and Juliet).
In New York, Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape for assaulting an aspiring actress and forcibly performing a sex act on a television and film production assistant in 2006. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors have said one of the accusers in that case, Jessica Mann, is willing to testify again against Weinstein. Gloria Allred, an attorney for the second accuser, Mimi Haley, said last week that her client has not yet decided whether to participate in the retrial.
The Associated Press generally does not identify people alleging sexual assault unless they agree to be named, as Ms.my Haley and Mann.