Harvey Weinstein Pleads Not Guilty to Additional Sexual Assault Charges
Weinstein has been hit with one count of first-degree criminal sexual act and two counts of predatory sexual assault, which relate to conduct from 2006 and involve a victim who is as yet unnamed.
July 09, 2018 at 10:53 AM
4 minute read
Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty on Monday in a Manhattan state court to additional sexual misconduct charges, bringing the total charges against the once-powerful film producer to six felony counts. But Weinstein's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said he was confident that evidence presented in the case will help his client beat the charges, which now include two counts of predatory sexual assault, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. The new charges, which include a charge of first-degree sexual act, relates to conduct from 2006 involving an accuser who has not been named. Weinstein, 66, arrived to his arraignment before acting Manhattan Supreme Court Justice James Burke in handcuffs and wearing a dark suit. He was uncuffed when he left the arraignment. Weinstein was previously arrested and arraigned in May on charges of first- and third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act; the rape charges relate to another unnamed accuser who said she was victimized in 2013 and the criminal sexual act charge pertains to alleged conduct with Lucia Evans, a former aspiring actress who has said Weinstein forced her to give him oral sex in 2004, and who went public with her story. Weinstein has also pleaded not guilty to the previous charges, arguing that he had a consensual relationship with the accuser from 2013. Weinstein is out on $1 million bail on electronic surveillance, living in a family home in Westport, Connecticut. He surrendered his passport in May. Speaking to reporters following the arraignment, Brafman said that, based on contacts with prosecutors in the case, he “anticipates” that additional accusers will come forward. A spokesman for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office declined to comment on whether it plans to file charges related to conduct dealing with additional accusers. At the arraignment, Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Joan Illuzzi, who is leading the prosecution, requested that Weinstein be placed on house arrest and that he be required to reside in New York City. “Obviously the defendant does stand a substantial chance of going to jail for a very, very long time,” Illuzzi said. But Burke declined to grant the request without going into detail, stating simply that the terms of bail would remain the same. Brafman said that the defense has obtained emails and witness testimony that could exonerate his client of the charges he faces. “The case has not grown stronger for the prosecution,” Brafman said. “Indeed, since his arrest in May, his defense has grown substantially stronger as we have found overwhelming corroboration well beyond Mr. Weinstein's assertions that support his claim that all sexual encounters were consensual and that he did not rape anyone.” Brafman told reporters that Weinstein has been putting in work as a paralegal for Brafman's firm, Benjamin A. Brafman and Associates, and has been pursuing film projects. Gloria Allred, who was in the courtroom for Weinstein's arraignment, told reporters that she represents the third accuser, but would not provide additional details about her client's identity. But she said that she expects that her client will take the stand if the case goes to trial. “Mr. Brafman, are you ready to state unequivocally that Mr. Weinstein is ready to take the witness stand and face questions before a jury?” Allred said.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllRetired Judge Susan Cacace Elected Westchester DA in Win for Democrats
In Eric Adams Case and Other Corruption Matters, Prosecutors Seem Bent on Pushing Boundaries of Their Already Awesome Power
5 minute readEric Adams Trial Set for April as Defense Urges Dismissal of Bribery Count
Major Drug Companies Agree to Pay $49.1 Million to 50 States, Territories
3 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Elon Musk Names Microsoft, Calif. AG to Amended OpenAI Suit
- 2Trump’s Plan to Purge Democracy
- 3Baltimore City Govt., After Winning Opioid Jury Trial, Preparing to Demand an Additional $11B for Abatement Costs
- 4X Joins Legal Attack on California's New Deepfakes Law
- 5Monsanto Wins Latest Philadelphia Roundup Trial
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250