Weinstein to return to New York court for hearing ahead of retrial on sex crimes charges

In preparation for his retrial on sex offenses charges related to his historic #MeToo case, Harvey Weinstein is scheduled to appear in a New York courthouse on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.

Judge Curtis Farber will preside over the hearing, which will cover a number of topics, including the prosecution’s request to combine Weinstein’s current case with a new charge that was brought against him in September.

Additional allegations have been brought against Weinstein, the Hollywood film mogul whose conviction on two sex offense convictions in 2020 was overturned earlier this year.

Prosecutors Advocate for Merging Trials

Prosecutors claim that in the spring of 2006, Weinstein coerced a woman into having oral sex with him at a hotel in Manhattan.

Weinstein, who has entered a not guilty plea to all accusations, is already facing a retrial for allegedly raping an aspiring actor in 2013 and forcing oral sex on a TV and movie production assistant in 2006.

Consolidation Is Opposed by Weinstein’s Legal Team

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has asked that the new charges and the prior ones be combined into a single trial.

The prosecution said in court documents that two trials would be “extraordinarily inefficient” and a waste of judicial resources. They emphasized that there is a great deal of overlap between the instances in terms of the criminal legislation at issue, as well as in terms of the witnesses, expert testimony, and documentary evidence.

Weinstein’s legal team is resisting the attempt to merge the cases, however.

The additional charge should be treated separately, they have claimed, saying that prosecutors are trying to “expand the scope” of the court-ordered retrial and make it “an entirely new proceeding.” They insist that only the counts included in the first conviction—which was reversed earlier this year by New York’s top court—should be the subject of the retrial.

Trial Date Is Most Likely to Be Postponed

The schedule for Weinstein’s retrial is another important topic that is anticipated to be covered during the hearing. The trial was originally set to start on November 12; however, both the defense and the prosecution have voiced reservations about meeting that date.

The trial date may be postponed since both parties have hinted that they could want more time to be ready for the proceedings.

Since his conviction was reversed, Weinstein has been detained in the Rikers Island prison facility in New York City. While in detention, the 72-year-old has had a number of health problems. In 2022, Weinstein was found guilty of rape in Los Angeles, in addition to his legal struggles in New York. His attorneys are now contesting that conviction as well.

Once one of the most influential people in Hollywood, Weinstein cofounded Miramax and The Weinstein Company and produced highly regarded movies including The Crying Game and Shakespeare in Love. In 2017, the worldwide #MeToo movement was sparked in part by the charges against him.