The case, which was so central to the metoo movement, will go to court again after the rape verdict was overturned.
Wednesday 1 May at 21:13
The short version
- Harvey Weinstein reappears in Manhattan Criminal Court.
- Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg announces a new trial after his rape conviction was overturned.
- The former Hollywood producer may have a new trial as early as September.
- Weinstein was previously sentenced to 23 years in prison for the rape of two women, but the sentence was overturned due to unfair treatment.
- The case against Weinstein was at the time very central to the metoo movement.
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It is the public prosecutor in Manhattan who warns that he will be brought before the court again, according to Reuters.
Weinstein was handcuffed to his wheelchair when he appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court today. It is the first time he has appeared in public since he was sentenced to 23 years in prison four years ago.
– We want to try it again, and we want to try it as quickly as possible, prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said in court today, according to the New York Post.
Currently, it is not known when the new case will come up, but it could happen as early as September. There are more than 80 women who have accused Weinstein of abuse, but he has always denied it.
Sentenced in 2020
72-year-old Harvey Weinstein has been one of Hollywood’s most powerful men, including as one of the founders of the production company Miramax. The accusations against Weinstein have been over 100 and central to the metoo movement.
It has been a few days since it became known that the Court of Appeal overturned the sentence the producer received against him in New York in 2020. The conclusion was that he did not receive a fair sentence at the time.
He was sentenced to 23 years in prison for raping a young production assistant and a young actor in 2006 and 2013 respectively.
Weinstein has also been sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape in a separate case in California. The two sentences cannot be served at the same time, but due to the separate rape case he was not released.
Weinstein is said to be in very poor health, and last week it was known that he has been admitted to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. He will now serve time in Rikers Island prison in New York City, having previously served time in a New York state prison.
Arthur Aidala is Weinstein’s lawyer and is asking for his client to be released on bail due to serious health problems.
