Former film mogul Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to a new charge of sexual misconduct. According to a statement from the New York District Attorney’s Office, the case concerns allegations made by a woman who allegedly sexually assaulted Weinstein in a Manhattan hotel in the spring of 2006.
Weinstein’s spokesperson team said in a statement that they did not know any details about the person, the location or the alleged incident. However, they would fight the allegations with all means possible. According to Weinstein, sexual acts were always consensual.
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The new charges were announced last week, but details remained under wraps. A so-called grand jury paved the way for further proceedings against the 72-year-old. A grand jury is a group of jurors who, after the prosecution has presented evidence, decides whether charges can be brought in a case.
Weinstein appeared in court in person on Wednesday (local time) for the charges to be read out. According to media reports, he was sitting in a wheelchair. The ex-producer, who is in poor health, had to undergo heart surgery on September 8. He has been in a New York hospital since then.
Further trial to begin in November
The new charges have nothing to do with the historic 2020 verdict against Weinstein, which was overturned by an appeals court in New York at the end of April. The prosecution had announced that it wanted to reopen this case. November was initially mentioned as the start date.
Weinstein, once the all-powerful Hollywood star, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual offenses in 2020. The numerous assaults on women he was accused of had played a key role in setting off the global MeToo movement, in which women in particular drew attention to sexual assaults by men.
As a result, numerous people around the world – including many celebrities – were seriously incriminated by similar allegations. In addition, Weinstein was convicted of similar crimes in Los Angeles, which is why he remains in prison.
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