- Title: Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to sex crime charges in Los Angeles
- Date: 21st July 2021
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 21, 2021) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR JUDGE, SERGIO TAPIA, SAYING OFF-CAMERA (NOT A SOUNDBITE) "GOOD LUCK MR. [HARVEY] WEINSTEIN" / CONVICTED FILM PRODUCER STANDING TRIAL FOR ADDITIONAL CHARGES, HARVEY WEINSTEIN, SAYING (NOT A SOUNDBITE): "THANK YOU VERY MUCH" / WEINSTEIN BEING WHEELED AWAY ATTORNEY FOR WEINSTEIN, MARK WERKSMAN, ENTERING PLEA OF NOT GUILTY WEINSTEIN SEEN BEHIND LAWYERS DURING PROCEEDINGS WEINSTEIN'S ARM TAPIA PRESIDING WEINSTEIN'S ATTORNEYS / WEINSTEIN'S ARM TAPIA AUDIENCE / TAPIA
- Embargoed: 4th August 2021 20:32
- Keywords: Gloria Allred Harvey Weinstein Los Angeles MeToo Rape Werksman
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001EMSBXVR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty on Wednesday (July 21) to charges of rape and sexual assault involving five women in Los Angeles ahead of a second trial.
Weinstein, 69, arrived at Los Angeles Superior Court for his first appearance there in a wheelchair, wearing a brown jail uniform, after being extradited from New York on Tuesday where he was serving 23 years in prison for rape and other sexual offenses.
Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone and is appealing his 2020 New York conviction and sentence.
In Los Angeles, he faces 11 charges of attacking five women between 2004 to 2013. They include forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by restraint, and sexual penetration by use of force. If convicted, Weinstein could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Weinstein's lawyer said there was no forensic evidence or credible witnesses to the allegations.
"They are baseless, they are from long, long ago, they are uncorroborated," Mark Werksman told reporters outside the courthouse.
"We are confident that if we can have a fair trial in this case that Mr. Weinstein will be acquitted," Werksman said.
After entering his not guilty plea through his attorney on Wednesday, Weinstein was ordered to remain in jail until the next hearing on July 29.
Werksman said he was seeking dismissal of three charges relating to 2004 and 2005 on the grounds that the 10-year statute of limitations in California has expired.
Weinstein, once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, is accused of raping two women at hotels in Beverly Hills on separate occasions, and sexually assaulting three other women in the Beverly Hills or Los Angeles areas, according to the charges.
He had been fighting extradition on medical grounds. Werksman said he was going blind in one eye and that he was unable to walk because of back problems.
More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct going back decades but only a handful of the allegations have resulted in criminal charges.
He co-founded the Miramax film studio, whose hit movies included "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp Fiction." His film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018.
(Production by: Dan Fastenberg) - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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