Harvey Weinstein arrives at NYC court to face charges; L.A. County files new charges
01/06/2020 12:11 pm PST
via KTLA:
NEW YORK CITY (KTLA) -- Harvey Weinstein and several of the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct converged Monday at the New York City courthouse where a judge and his lawyers handled the final preparations for his high-stakes trial on charges of rape and assault.
Weinstein, 67, entered the building leaning on a walker following a recent back surgery, sporting a dark suit and disheveled hair.
Jury selection in the trial is expected to start Tuesday, more than two years since the allegations first came to widespread public attention and catalyzed the #MeToo movement.
Weinstein, 67, faces allegations that he raped one woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and performed a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006.
He has pleaded not guilty and says any sexual activity was consensual. If he's convicted of the most serious charges against him, two counts of predatory sexual assault, Weinstein faces a mandatory life sentence.
Prosecutors plan to call actress Annabella Sciorra, who says Weinstein forced himself inside her Manhattan apartment in 1993 or 1994 and raped her after she starred in a film for his movie studio. They also want jurors to hear from some of the more than 75 women who have come forward publicly to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault.
The judge refused to issue a gag order, but told both sides: “Leave the witnesses alone, OK? Don't talk about them in any way.”
The judge also barred the defense from calling detective Nicholas DiGaudio as a witness. DiGaudio was removed the investigation amid allegations he had withheld evidence that could have helped defend Weinstein.
In Los Angeles Monday, the L.A. County District Attorney's Office filed charges of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint, according to a news release issued Monday morning.
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