Topline
Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein will face a retrial for sex crimes charges on April 15, a judge said Wednesday, despite Weinstein begging the judge to move the trial up because of his health issues, saying “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”
Harvey Weinstein appears in State Supreme Court for a hearing in his sexual assault case on … [+]
Key Facts
Judge Curtis Farber said the trial would begin April 15 and he could not push it earlier because he has to preside over a trial that is “set in stone,” ABC News reported.
Weinstein pleaded with Farber to move the trial up anyway, saying: “Every day I’m at Rikers Island it’s a mystery to me how I’m still walking … I’m asking and begging you, your honor, I can’t hold on anymore. I’m holding on because I want justice for myself and I want this to be over with.”
Weinstein has long complained about being held in Rikers while battling bone marrow cancer and a number of other health issues, including having emergency heart surgery in September.
Weinstein’s retrial was initially scheduled for Nov. 12, but the date was pushed after Farber ruled the retrial could be consolidated with one count of a criminal sexual act Weinstein was charged with in September.
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Crucial Quote
“I’m begging the court to … proceed with this trial as quickly as we can and get out of this hell hole,” Weinstein told the judge, referring to Rikers Island, ABC News reported.
Why Is Harvey Weinstein On Trial?
Weinstein is being retried on two charges he was previously convicted of—criminal sexual assault and a third-degree rape charge—that were overturned in April 2024. A panel of judges on the New York Court of Appeals overturned the conviction and 23-year sentence because they found the judge erred by allowing several women who accused Weinstein of assault to testify despite not being directly involved with the case.
What Is The New Charge Against Harvey Weinstein?
In October last year Farber ruled the retrial would be consolidated with one new charge of committing a criminal sex act that was brought against him in September. The new charge alleges he forced oral sex on a woman in Manhattan in 2006, the Associated Press reported, while the old charges revolve around a separate 2006 allegation and a 2013 allegation. Weinstein pleaded not guilty.
Key Background
Weinstein was one of the most powerful people in Hollywood, producing a number of blockbuster films including “The King’s Speech,” “Inglourious Basterds,” and “Good Will Hunting.” The producer faced a surge of sexual misconduct allegations in 2017, though, coinciding with the #MeToo movement. He was charged with five felony counts in New York, though was only convicted of two, and he was convicted in Los Angeles of rape and sexual assault. He received a 23-year sentence in New York—though it was overturned with the convictions—and a 16-year sentence in Los Angeles, though his lawyers appealed it. While being held in Rikers Island awaiting retrial, Weinstein has been hospitalized a number of times. In September, he was “rushed” to the hospital “due to several medical conditions” and ultimately had heart surgery, and in July he was taken to the hospital for COVID-19 and double pneumonia, NBC News reported.
Further Reading
Harvey Weinstein Hospitalized For Emergency Heart Surgery (Forbes)
Ailing Harvey Weinstein begs to have #MeToo retrial as soon as possible after April 15 date set (Associated Press)
Harvey Weinstein begs to get out of Rikers Island ‘hell hole’ in court (ABC News)
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