Harvey Weinstein has appeared at the same New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump is currently on trial.
The 72-year-old disgraced former Hollywood producer, who is awaiting a retrial on rape charges after his 2020 conviction was overturned, looked incredibly frail as he was escorted to the courtroom.
Today’s court hearing will address various legal issues related to the upcoming trial, which is tentatively scheduled for some time post Labor Day.
Weinstein’s original trial took place in the same courtroom where Trump is now on trial, but it’s unlikely the two men will cross paths.
His appearance will take place in a courtroom located on a different floor than where Trump’s trial is being held.
Weinstein was found guilty of third-degree rape involving Jessica Mann, an aspiring actor, and of sexually assaulting Miriam Haley, a former TV and film production assistant.
Last month, New York‘s highest court overturned those convictions after determining that the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women that weren’t part of the case.
Weinstein, 72, has insisted that any sexual activity was consensual.
The ruling in New York reopened a painful chapter in America’s confrontation with sexual misconduct by influential figures, with a surge of allegations against Weinstein prompting the #MeToo era to begin in 2017.
Last week, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office urged Judge Curtis Farber to caution Weinstein’s defense team against publicly discussing or criticizing potential witnesses before his retrial.
The DA Alvin Bragg’s team contended that Weinstein’s main lawyer, Arthur Aidala, had made remarks aimed at deterring Haley from testifying earlier in May.
Aidala, speaking outside the courthouse on May 1, claimed Haley had deceived the jury about her reasons for coming forward and promised a vigorous cross-examination “if she dares to come and show her face here.”
Last month, Weinstein was hospitalized after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Attorney Aidala said Weinstein was moved to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after his arrival on Friday to city jails and is for undergoing a battery of tests.
“They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically. He’s got a lot of problems. He’s getting all kinds of tests. He’s somewhat of a train wreck health wise,” Aidala said.
He said his client’s ailments are physical, adding that mentally he is “sharp as a tack. Feet are firmly planted on the ground.”
Weinstein, already serving a 23-year term in New York, was found guilty in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and faces an additional 16 years behind bars in California.
