Harvey Weinstein is facing a new sex crime charge to which he has pleaded not guilty.
A new sexual assault charge has been brought against media mogul Harvey Weinstein, seven years after he became the central figure in the #MeToo accusations.
Weinstein, the disgraced Miramax executive who is still awaiting retrial in the landmark #MeToo cases, pleaded not guilty yesterday to a new charge that he forced oral sex on a woman at a Manhattan hotel in the spring of 2006.
Prosecutors have given no details about the alleged new victim, and Weinstein's attorney has denied that the defendant knew her.
The unnamed woman's lawyer, Lindsay Goldbrum, said, "She will be fully prepared to speak her truth at trial to hold Weinstein to account before a jury of her peers." She added that the woman did not wish to be identified at this time, and the law firm declined to say more about her or her accusation.
According to the indictment and another court document, the alleged assault — the specific charge is a "criminal sex act" — occurred at a hotel in lower Manhattan between April 29 and May 6, 2006.
Weinstein has long maintained that he never engaged in sexual activity that was not consensual. Defence lawyer Arthur Aidala reaffirmed on Wednesday that his client "never forced anyone".
Lawyer Aidala said he had "absolutely no idea" of the accuser's identity or the details of the charge.
Weinstein, 72, who is recovering from emergency surgery, arrived in court in a wheelchair, carrying two novels with him. He seemed to be watching the proceedings carefully.
In 2017, Weinstein became the trigger for the #MeToo movement when articles in The New Yorker and The New York Times reported on sexual assault accusations against him and the broader complicity of the Hollywood industry.
These allegations led to multiple prosecutions and a criminal conviction for rape and sexual assault in 2020, followed by a conviction for rape in 2022 in Los Angeles.
After being sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape, the New York High Court overturned his 2020 conviction. The Court of Appeal stated that the trial judge had allowed evidence based on allegations that were not part of the case.
As a result, Weinstein faces a new trial that was scheduled for November, but is likely to be delayed. New Judge Curtis Farber has set a hearing for Oct. 2 to discuss the timeline and whether the new charge should be included in the new trial.
Aidala said Weinstein wants to be tried as soon as possible, but his defense team doesn't want to rush its work to respond to the new charge.
Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been charged with at least one other sex crime that was not part of the previous case. But the new indictment remained sealed until he was indicted on Wednesday.
Prosecutors said jurors heard evidence of three alleged assaults, in hotels and a residential building, between the mid-2000s and 2016.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the investigation was continuing.
"Thanks to this survivor who bravely came forward, Harvey Weinstein is now charged with another alleged violent sexual assault," Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
Weinstein remains in custody pending his retrial in New York.
The tycoon has been in a Manhattan hospital since the emergency surgery he underwent on September 9 to drain fluids around his heart and lungs. He is taking up to 19 different medications for his various health conditions, his lawyer said.