After his New York convictions were overturned, the former movie producer is still sentenced to 16 years in prison in California.
Harvey Weinstein appeared in a New York City courthouse on Wednesday afternoon, where a prosecutor indicated that he could face a new indictment before his retrial on sex crime charges.
During the court hearing, Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg mentioned that new accusers have come forward with sexual misconduct claims against the disgraced Hollywood producer. Prosecutors are currently assessing whether these new claims fall within the statute of limitations.
“People who were unable to speak out in 2020 are now coming forward in 2024,” Ms. Blumberg informed Judge Curtis Farber.
Mr. Weinstein, aged 72, was recently hospitalized upon his return to New York City after his 2020 convictions on rape and sexual assault charges were overturned by the state’s highest court. He arrived in the Manhattan courtroom in a wheelchair for the hearing.
His next court appearance is set for July 9, with the retrial on sex crime charges tentatively scheduled for after Labor Day.
At his 2020 trial, the Academy Award-winning film producer was found guilty of raping former actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and sexually assaulting Miriam Haley, a former TV and film production assistant, in 2016. Subsequently, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison, serving his sentence at the Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome, New York.
In a 4-3 decision on April 25, the New York State Court of Appeals overturned these convictions, citing that the trial judge wrongly allowed testimony from other women not involved in the case against Mr. Weinstein.
The state appeals court criticized the trial judge for allowing irrelevant and prejudicial evidence, such as untested allegations, to be presented during the trial. This led to a portrayal of Mr. Weinstein in a highly prejudicial light, the court stated.
As his retrial progresses, Mr. Weinstein remains in prison due to his 16-year sentence in Los Angeles in 2022 for rape charges brought by a woman known as Jane Doe 1. With the overturn of the Manhattan guilty verdict, Jane Doe is the sole accuser to secure a criminal conviction against him.
California authorities have requested Mr. Weinstein’s extradition to serve his sentence there before his new trial in Manhattan. However, his legal team is strongly opposing this extradition.
Mr. Weinstein, who denies any wrongdoing in both New York and California, is working with his legal team to appeal the California case.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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