Summary: Harvey Weinstein had pled not guilty to sex crimes charges filed against him in New York City.
On Monday, Harvey Weinstein appeared in court and pled not guilty to the additional sex crimes that were added earlier this month, according to CNN.
In May, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office brought charges against Weinstein for allegedly raping two women, one instance occurring in 2004 and another in 2013. Last week, they added more for another incident with a different woman. Weinstein pled not guilty to the previous charges as well.
“A Manhattan Grand Jury has now indicted Harvey Weinstein on some of the most serious sexual offenses that exist under New York’s Penal Law,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said in a statement. “This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward.”
In October, the New York Times published an expose about Weinstein’s alleged sexual misconduct that went unchecked for decades. After the piece was published, dozens of women came forward, claiming that he had sexually harassed or assaulted them. His accusers included Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, and Asia Argento.
Following the piece, Weinstein was ousted from the prestigious film company he founded, The Weinstein Company, and police departments in Los Angeles, New York, and London announced that they were investigating many of the women’s claims against him. His fall from powerful TV and movie producer to ostracized pervert sparked the anti-harassment movements #MeToo and #TimesUp.
Weinstein, 66, is being represented by criminal attorneys, Blair Berk and Benjamin Brafman.
“The more I investigate the case, the more I realize that the charges that are currently in the indictment are very defensible indeed,” Brafman said. “Any suggestion that Mr. Weinstein raped anyone, based on the overwhelming evidence that I have in my possession already, is a ludicrous suggestion, and Mr. Weinstein has of course also vigorously denied that suggestion.”
Weinstein is currently out on $1 million bail. He faces six felony charges: two counts of predatory sexual assault, two counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree, and one count each of first-degree rape and third-degree rape.
Weinstein has admitted to sexual acts with women outside his marriage, but he has said that they were all consensual.
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