Harvey Weinstein was arraigned in a New York City court on Wednesday on an additional sex crimes charge, about two months before the discredited Hollywood producer’s historic #MeToo trial is set to begin.
Weinstein, who arrived at the Manhattan courthouse in a wheelchair, has pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He is recovering from emergency heart surgery this month, and his lawyer said he is taking 19 medications.
Under New York Penal Code, a criminal sexual act in the first degree involves engaging in “oral sexual acts or anal sexual acts with another person” through “violent coercion.” It is a Class B misdemeanor.
In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the charges stem from the alleged sexual assault of a woman at a Lower Manhattan hotel in 2006, sometime between April 29 and May 6.
“Thanks to this survivor who bravely came forward, Harvey Weinstein now faces charges for an additional alleged violent sexual assault,” Bragg said. “That investigation is ongoing.”
In all, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual abuse or harassment, spanning decades. The allegations inspired the #MeToo movement, a global reckoning with abuses of power in the entertainment and other industries. Weinstein has repeatedly denied the allegations and maintained that the encounters in question were consensual.
In early 2020, a New York jury convicted Weinstein of third-degree rape of Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress, and first-degree criminal sexual conduct of Mimi Haley, a former production assistant on “Project Runway.” (He was acquitted of two counts of predatory sexual assault and one count of first-degree rape.)
But in April, the New York State Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence in a 4-3 decision, criticizing the trial judge for allowing women to testify about allegations that weren’t part of the indictment. The court said the move was “deeply prejudicial.”
“The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial,” the court wrote.
Weinstein’s retrial is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 12. Haley’s attorney, Gloria Allred, said her client has agreed to testify against Weinstein again because “she believes it is the right thing to do.” In a statement last week, Mann said she plans to use her “voice” against him.
“I look forward to continuing to use it when I face Harvey in court again soon and prove that my life is valuable,” Mann said. “That is something I now know he can never take away.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced in July that it was seeking a new trial for Weinstein. Manhattan prosecutors announced at a hearing last week that he had been indicted on new charges.
He remains in custody at Rikers Island Jail pending a new trial, but last week a judge agreed to a defense request to have him remain in Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan rather than being returned to the jail’s infirmary.
In addition to the New York case, Weinstein was found guilty in late 2022 in a Los Angeles trial on one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault. (The jury acquitted him on one count of sexual assault by force and failed to reach a verdict on three other sexual assault charges.) He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Weinstein’s legal team is appealing the verdict in Los Angeles. In both cases, Weinstein pleaded not guilty and chose not to testify in his own defense.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Weinstein was a titan of the film industry as co-head of Miramax and The Weinstein Co. He positioned himself as a show business kingmaker, producing influential independent films (including “Pulp Fiction”) and distributing Oscar-winning dramas such as “The English Patient,” “Shakespeare in Love” and “The King’s Speech.”
But his reign at the top of Hollywood collapsed in October 2017 after investigative reporters for The New York Times and The New Yorker published stories detailing allegations of serial sexual misconduct. The flood of accusations inspired other women to come forward with allegations against other powerful men in the entertainment, financial and other industries.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
