(New York) Manhattan prosecutors said Tuesday at an arraignment hearing for Harvey Weinstein that they are considering charging the former Hollywood king of the producer with new sexual assault charges that would add to his upcoming trial in New York in the fall.
Visibly diminished, looking pale and with an almost bald head, the former all-powerful producer of American cinema, 72, attended the hearing in a wheelchair, his lawyer Arthur Aidala deploring a continuing deterioration in his health while he is currently incarcerated in the notorious Rikers Island prison in New York.
Harvey Weinstein is set to be retried in New York in the fall, after the resounding overturning at the end of April by an appeals court of his 2020 conviction for the 2013 rape of an actress, Jessica Mann, and the 2006 sexual assault of a production assistant, Mimi Haleyi. A turnaround seen as an affront and a step backwards for the #metoo movement against sexist violence against women.
The 2017 revelations about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assaults sent shockwaves around the world and prompted many victims to speak out. More than 80 women have accused Harvey Weinstein of harassment, sexual assault or rape, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd.
“Hotline”
“As we said in 2020, there were women who were not ready to engage in the legal process. Some of these women are ready now,” said prosecutor Nicole Blumberg, referring, without giving details, to cases of “violent sexual assault” and “rape,” which would not be affected by the statute of limitations.
The prosecutor assured that the prosecution would be ready for a new trial in the fall, mentioning the month of November.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, saw it as an admission of weakness and accused the prosecution of opening a “hotline” to find new accusers. “They’re trying to find someone else, I guess they feel their case isn’t strong enough,” he said after the hearing.
Actress Jessica Mann, who appeared in court on Tuesday, has already announced that she will testify again against the accused during a new trial.
Until then, Harvey Weinstein remains behind bars because he was also sentenced in 2023 to 16 years in prison in Los Angeles for separate cases of rape and sexual assault. He has appealed.
During the hearing, the lawyer asked the judge to take into account his client’s health. “He is not a young man, he is sick […] “his diabetes is reaching new heights,” he lamented.
The judge set a new procedural hearing for July 19.