Harvey Weinstein is under investigation for “additional violent sexual assaults,” a Manhattan court has heard, months after his previous conviction in New York was overturned.
Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said during Tuesday’s hearing that the alleged assault falls within the statute of limitations and could be charged as a crime.
The disgraced 72-year-old movie mogul faces a retrial after his 2020 conviction for sexual assault and rape was overturned as unfair in April.
“As we said in 2020, some women were not ready to move forward with the legal process. Some of those women are now ready to move forward,” Ms. Bloomberg said at Tuesday’s hearing.
Weinstein’s Attorney Arthur Aidala told the hearing the new investigation was a delaying tactic, adding: “We have a hotline again: 1-800 to contact Harvey.”
Mr. Aidala added that his client suffered from a series of health problems while in solitary confinement at New York City’s Rikers Island prison.
Weinstein’s 2020 conviction is crucial to the #MeToo movement, in which women have accused hundreds of men in the media of sexual misconduct.
The Miramax film studio founder was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexually assaulting production assistant Miriam Haley and raping actress Jessica Mann.
However, a New York appeals court found in April that the right to a fair trial was violated by evidence about Weinstein’s “prior bad behavior” presented by three witnesses unrelated to the allegations against Weinstein.
Members of the #MeToo movement called the decision “grossly unjust,” while lawyers for the victims said the decision to retry was “regressive” and “tragic.”
The review is scheduled to begin after the Labor Day holiday on September 2. Although no specific date has been determined. Ms. Bloomberg said on Tuesday that prosecutors may actually go to trial in November.
Weinstein was also sentenced to 16 years in prison after a separate rape trial in California. The conviction is not affected by the New York appeals court decision, and he has not yet begun serving his sentence in California.
More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. He denies all charges against him.
