NOT OVER
Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is helped into court in wheelchair as judge sets date for retrial on rape charges
Prosecutors teased that more potential survivors could come forward with accusations against Weinstein
DISGRACED movie producer Harvey Weinstein will be retried for sex crimes in New York.
, whose rape conviction in was overturned by an appeals court in April, will go on trial on November 12.
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Judge Curtis Farber set the tentative trial date on Friday after the defense and prosecution agreed they wanted to speed up the process for a retrial.
Weinstein's attorneys told the judge they'd prefer an earlier start date than November.
"He [Weinstein] is anxious to go to trial and prove his innocence," one of Weinstein's attorneys said after the hearing.
A frail Weinstein was wheeled into the lower Manhattan courtroom wearing a blue jacket with an American flag pin.
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Farber said he's also open to setting the retrial date earlier for sometime in September, depending on how pretrial discovery plays out.
The convicted sex offender, 72, sat in his wheelchair expressionless as the judge set the November retrial date.
Weinstein's court hearing was delayed over an hour due to the worldwide outage affecting computers.
CONVICTION OVERTURNED
A New York Court of Appeals ruled on April 25 that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial in January 2020 when he was convicted of two felony sex charges.
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The appeals court panel determined that Judge James Burke, who oversaw the initial trial, made crucial mistakes during the proceeding.
Burke erroneously allowed the testimony of witnesses who accused Weinstein of sexual assault, but the accusations were not part of the charges he was on trial for, according to the appeals court.
Actress Jessica Mann and film producer Miriam "Mimi" Haley, whose initial allegations against Weinstein led to criminal charges, are expected to testify again in his retrial.
Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing.
How Weinstein sparked the #MeToo movement
- In October 2017, The New York Times published a bombshell article where numerous actresses alleged abuse at the hands of Harvey Weinstein.
- Soon after, the actress Alyssa Milano asked women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed to share the words "Me Too" on social media.
- The request quickly became a movement - with actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lawrence, and Uma Thurman all sharing their harrowing stories.
- It was later revealed that "Me Too" was first used by activity Tarana Burke in 2006 to describe her sexual assault.
- The media firestorm led to many media executives losing their positions, alongside backlash over whether the accusations were being properly investigated.
- Weinstein remained at the center of it all and was one of the few who was hit with criminal charges.
- A top executive who produced films like Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, and The Lord of the Rings, activist felt he was the perfect representation of how power and influence could be used for evil.
Criminal defense attorney Keith B. Johnson previously told The U.S. Sun the disgraced movie mogul could attempt to use his health issues to influence the jury.
"Mr. Weinstein is not going to take a deal," he said.
"It's going to be a trial, and I think that that's the right move on his part too, because it can't get any worse than what it already is.
"If you'll get a more sympathetic jury, they may say, 'Look at this old guy, he looks pitiful, he's already done enough, maybe he did it, maybe he didn't.'"
During a May 29 court hearing, prosecutors told Judge Curtis Farber that they're looking at a new criminal indictment against Weinstein.
Prosecutors detailed that more women have come forward with claims of sexual assault against the disgraced producer, adding that some potential survivors were not willing to come forward during his initial trial.
"People who couldn't speak out in 2020 are now willing to speak out in 2024," prosecutor Nicole Blumberg told the judge.
It's unclear how many more accusers could come forward with accusations against Weinstein.
In June, Weinstein's defense team filed an appeal to overturn his conviction in .
The shamed Hollywood producer was convicted of rape and sexual assault in December 2022 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The Los Angeles conviction came nearly three years after his guilty verdict in New York.
"Harvey Weinstein was tried by a system devoted to 'getting him' at all costs," Weinstein's publicist Juda Engelmayer told after the appeal was filed.
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"This appeal demonstrates nearly a dozen areas of brazen legal missteps that violated his right to a fair trial. We know he has a solid case here."
Weinstein is currently being housed in New York's Rikers Island as he awaits retrial.
Harvey Weinstein Trial Timeline
- October 2017: The New York Times reports the film mogul, whose Miramax film company won its first Oscar in 1997 for The English Patient, has reached legal settlements with eight women who accused him of sexual harassment spanning over 30 years. He is fired from his company, his wife leaves him, and the #Metoo movement is born.
- May 2018: Weinstein was arrested on charges of rape and a criminal sex act involving alleged assaults of two women.
- June 2018: He pleads not guilty to both charges and a third charge. One of them is eventually dropped.
- December 2019: Weinstein agrees to a $25 million settlement with a number of women who accused him of wrongdoing.
- February 2020: He is sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York for the charges brought against him in 2018.
- December 2020: A jury in Los Angeles convicts him of raping a model. He receives a 16-year prison term two months later, which runs alongside his New York sentence.
- April 2024: His New York conviction is overturned, and a new trial is ordered.
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