Harvey Weinstein faces new sexual assault allegations before retrial

Prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating additional allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein and may seek new charges ahead of his scheduled retrial on rape and sexual assault charges.

Nicole Blumberg, an assistant district attorney, told a judge Wednesday that other people have filed personal injury lawsuits and prosecutors are currently reviewing which charges are statute-barred.

She said potential survivors who were unwilling to testify during Weinstein’s first trial in New York may now be willing.

When asked by Judge Curtis Farber if there was a possibility that the prosecution would file new charges, Ms. Blumberg replied, “Yes, Your Honor.”

The assistant district attorney added that prosecutors will be in a better position to bring the court up to date in late June.

The judge has set the next hearing date for July 9. The retrial of Weinstein for the rape is tentatively scheduled for early September.

Arthur Aidala, Weinstein’s lawyer, told reporters outside the courthouse that his client was confident that no other accusers would be found to bolster the prosecution’s evidence.

“He has never done anything like this before”

“(Weinstein) knows he has never done anything like this before,” Aidala said.

The Hollywood producer – who appeared in the same New York courthouse as Donald Trump – entered the courtroom in a wheelchair, which he has used at other hearings since his conviction was overturned in 2020.

According to his lawyers, Weinstein suffered from health problems throughout his time in prison, most recently at the city’s Rikers Island prison complex.

Judge Farber addressed a letter prosecutors sent earlier in the hearing last week asking the court to remind Weinstein’s lawyers not to speak publicly about or disparage potential witnesses before the retrial.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argues that Mr Aidala had previously made statements designed to intimidate Miriam Haley, the former production assistant who was convicted of sexually harassing Weinstein.

However, Mr Aidala apologised to the judge and said it was not his intention to intimidate anyone.

“Lies were told at the last trial”

He added that his client was also entitled to a “vigorous defense” because “lies were told at the last trial” and accused prosecutors of holding press conferences criticizing Weinstein throughout the legal ordeal.

“Who is allowed to speak up for Harvey Weinstein?” he asked in court. “Who is allowed to be his voice?”

The judge then ordered both sides to “curry favor with the press” and said the case would “not be decided in the court of public opinion.”

Miriam Haley did not attend Wednesday’s hearing, expressing her reluctance to face the trauma of having to testify again.

Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, said outside the courthouse that her client had not yet made a decision on whether she would participate in the retrial.

“Who can stand up for Weinstein?”

Weinstein’s lawyer was asked to apologize to Ms. Haley for his alleged attack on her in the courtroom on Wednesday, but Mr. Aidala refused.

In a speech on May 1, Aidala accused Ms. Haley of lying to the jury about her motive for appearing and said his team planned aggressive cross-examination “if she dares to come here and show her face.”

At his trial in 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann and sexually assaulting Miriam Haley.

Last month, New York State’s highest court overturned the convictions after concluding that the judge had wrongly allowed testimony against Weinstein based on allegations made by women who were not part of the case.

Weinstein, 72, insisted that all sexual activity was consensual.

The Hollywood titan, who was serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York, was also convicted of another rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and is still serving a 16-year prison sentence in California.