This development comes as Weinstein, already serving a 23-year sentence for sexual assault, faces additional legal challenges. The new charges include multiple counts of rape, predatory sexual assault, and other serious offenses. The indictment stems from allegations that Weinstein sexually assaulted a woman in his New York City apartment in 2004.
- Harvey Weinstein is in trouble again
- A new sealed indictment has been handed out in New York
- THIS is the latest we know
Another comes out
The alleged victim came forward recently, prompting this fresh legal action.
“The Grand Jury has indicted Mr. Weinstein,” said Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg in a morning court hearing.
“We have not unsealed the actual indictment so we won’t speak about the specifics.” Weinstein’s defense team has firmly denied the allegations, labeling them as part of a "persistent campaign" to prosecute him unfairly. They argue that the new charges are based on unreliable testimony and lack substantial evidence.
The new indictment will add charges to Weinstein’s pending sex crimes trial – a proceeding that follows his original conviction and 23-year sentence being overturned in April.
It also follows Weinstein’s recent health scare, in which he was rushed to Bellevue Hospital.
Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said Weinstein “almost died’ in his latest health scare which required open-heart surgery.
The indictment marks another chapter in Weinstein's tumultuous legal journey, which began in earnest after the public accusations in 2017 led to a broader reckoning about sexual misconduct in various industries.
The new indictment remains sealed for now, Blumberg said, and the DA plans to file a motion to consolidate all the charges into a new superseding indictment.
Weinstein’s next court hearing is set for September 18. There is no arraignment date yet for the new indictment.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison after a jury in Manhattan found the former studio chief guilty in 2020 of raping actress Jessica Mann and sexually assaulting production assistant Miriam Haley. A panel of New York appeals court judges threw out his conviction in April, ruling 4-3 that prosecutors had erred by allowing the testimony of other Weinstein accusers whose claims were not being tried.
The Judge today also ordered that Weinstein remain at Bellevue Hospital prison ward, and not be transferred back to Rikers Island, citing defense complaints about his care at the jail’s hospital facilities.
“He’s not doing great,” Weinstein spokesman Juda Engelmayer told reporters this morning.
More than 80 women working at all levels of the film industry have come forward to accuse Weinstein of rape and assault during and after the height of the MeToo movement that called out powerful men in entertainment, politics and business for exploitive behavior.
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The case is expected to proceed to trial soon, with legal experts predicting a complex and high-profile courtroom battle. Weinstein's legal team has vowed to fight the charges vigorously, while supporters of the accuser hope this will bring some measure of justice.
This latest development underscores the ongoing impact of the #MeToo movement and the continued scrutiny of high-profile figures accused of sexual misconduct.
