New York [US], May 2 (ANI): Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein on Wednesday appeared in court in New York for the first time since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned.
Weinstein was seated in a wheelchair and wheeled by a security guard into a courtroom packed with journalists, lawyers and other officials, as per Variety.
Lawyer Gloria Allred and Weinstein accuser Jessica Mann were present in the room. Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said they will seek a retrial in the fall.
“[Mann] wants everyone to know the truth, and the defendant may have power and privilege, but she has the truth,” Blumberg said, adding they “have every reason to believe” Weinstein will be convicted in a retrial.
Attorney Arthur Aidala represented Weinstein and expressed interest in a speedy trial and confidence that Weinstein will be acquitted. Judge Curtis Farber said the new trial is expected to take place sometime after Labor Day.
Last week, the New York State Court of Appeals overturned the former entertainment mogul’s conviction, finding that the judge in the New York County trial prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, including allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has indicated that it would seek a retrial. Weinstein’s lawyers are also appealing his Los Angeles conviction, which may be vulnerable in the wake of his overturned New York verdict.
Weinstein has been imprisoned at the Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome, N.Y, but was transferred to Bellevue Hospital over the weekend to treat health problems. Aidala added that while Weinstein has various health problems, his mental abilities “will not be an issue to participate in his defence.”
The judge scheduled a discovery hearing for May 29.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, in February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual assault in the first degree, based on the testimony of Haley, a former Project Runway production assistant, and rape in the third degree, based on the testimony of onetime aspiring actress Jessica Mann. He was acquitted on three other charges, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. (ANI)
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