Harvey Weinstein to face new indictment in court
Fallen movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who is awaiting trial on two sexual assault charges, will return to court next week to hear a new indictment against him, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Weinstein, 67, will appear in a New York state court on Monday, said a spokesman for the Manhattan District Attorney, declining to comment on the details of the indictment.
He added, however, that it did not contain new charges and that the film producer’s trial would start as scheduled on Sept 9.
The indictment is likely to allow another alleged victim of Weinstein to testify at the trial.
Accusations against Weinstein, 67, propelled America’s #MeToo movement in 2017.
Once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, Weinstein has been accused of harassment and assault by more than 80 women, including stars such as Angelina Jolie and Ashley Judd.
But he only faces charges involving two women — one who alleges he raped her in 2013, the other that he forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2006.
A lawyer for Weinstein confirmed last week that prosecutors had asked a grand jury to approve a new indictment against him to include the allegations of a third woman.
US media have reported that it is actress Annabella Sciorra, known for her role in hit television series in “The Sopranos.”
In an interview with The New
Yorker magazine published in October 2017, she accused Weinstein of raping her after he forced himself into her apartment in the 1990s.
Damon Cheronis, a lawyer for Weinstein, said adding new allegations so close to trial was “unconstitutional” and that the defence would ask for the indictment to be dropped.
Weinstein’s attorneys have also requested the trial be moved, arguing that intense coverage in New York’s tabloids has meant he won’t get a fair trial.
A decision on that is pending. — AFP