Harvey Weinstein Appears In Court as Prosecutors Investigate New Claims With Fall Trial In Mind
Prosecutors in the Harvey Weinstein case are investigating sexual assault claims from additional women who have come forward as they look to a possible new indictment against the former Hollywood mogul.
In Manhattan criminal court Tuesday, Assistant ADA Nicole Blumberg said prosecutors have not yet summoned a grand jury but are continuing to investigate a “violent matter” committed within Manhattan that she said was believed to be within the statute of limitations. The plan is to proceed to trial in November.
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During a May 29 hearing for the case, Blumberg had said prosecutors may issue a new indictment against the former mogul, as there may be more women who come out against him and were weighing whether to speak out.
However, Arthur Aidala, the attorney for Weinstein, pushed back against what he saw as a delaying tactic and said Weinstein is “suffering tremendously under his current environment” and that he has been in solitary confinement “all day long,” as he continues to encounter a number of health issues.
Weinstein was in attendance at the hearing Tuesday and was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair, in a blue suit and clutching a book. Jessica Mann, who brought claims against Weinstein in the first trial, was also in attendance Tuesday, sitting in the gallery with prosecutors.
Aidala, citing a letter from a doctor, said Weinstein is suffering from fluid in his heart and in his lungs, spinal stenosis, macular degeneration in his eyes and high blood sugars related to his diabetes and the high carbohydrate food being served at Rikers Island. He pushed for the court to “move forward expeditiously,” with an eye to a trial in September.
“We’re very confident of the outcome of this trial,” Aidala said, adding that he believes Weinstein will be acquitted in Manhattan, before appealing in California. “There is a lot of light at the end of the tunnel for Mr. Weinstein.”
Blumberg pushed back against Aidala’s argument and said it was not a delaying tactic but rather a matter of procedure.
“There were a number of women who came forward to indicate that they were raped by the defendent,” Blumberg said again Tuesday. She added that those claims happened in Manhattan and the prosecutors were now working through the cases to determine what falls within the statute of limitations.
“Some of those women are now ready to proceed,” Blumberg said.
All parties, including Weinstein, are due back in court on July 19. A temporary protective order was issued that bars Weinstein’s attorneys from sharing a select tranche of evidence with their client for the time being.
In April, the New York State Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s rape conviction from 2020. The court ruled the judge in the New York County trial prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings and by allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.
In a press conference the day the conviction was overturned, Aidala said Weinstein continues to maintain his innocence and suggested he would take the stand in the new trial.
At the original trial, in February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual assault in the first degree, based on the testimony of Miriam Haley, a former Project Runway production assistant, and rape in the third degree, based on the testimony of aspiring actress Jessica Mann. He was acquitted on three other charges, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Weinstein was also convicted by a Los Angeles jury in 2022 on three counts against Jane Doe No. 1, who has since come forward as former Russian model Evgeniya Chernyshova. Weinstein has also filed to appeal that 16-year prison sentence.
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