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It
is unclear whether Weinstein will be present. He was rushed to
the hospital from a New York City jail on Sunday to undergo
emergency heart surgery, and his lawyers say he is beset with
health problems.
Jurors in Manhattan found Weinstein guilty of rape in February
2020. But the New York Court of Appeals threw out the conviction
in April, finding Weinstein did not get a fair trial because a
judge improperly allowed testimony by accusers he was not
formally charged with assaulting.
Weinstein, 72, has denied wrongdoing and has denied having any
nonconsensual sexual encounters with anyone.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said
at a July 9 court hearing that in addition to retrying
Weinstein, they intend to bring new charges for “additional
violent sexual assaults” of more women who agreed to testify.
The new accusers have not been publicly identified, and
prosecutors are seeking to shield certain evidence from public
view while they prepare to seek a new grand jury indictment.
The judge overseeing the case, Curtis Farber, has set a
tentative Nov. 12 trial date.
The Manhattan jury found the Miramax film studio co-founder
sexually assaulted former production assistant Miriam Haley in
2006 and raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. They are
among more than 80 women who have accused Weinstein of sexual
misconduct.
The conviction was a milestone for the #MeToo movement, in which
women accused hundreds of men in entertainment, media, politics
and other fields of sexual misconduct.
Weinstein was also convicted of rape in a separate trial in
California, and has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. That
conviction was not affected by the New York appeals court's
decision. Weinstein has remained in custody but has not begun
serving the California sentence.
On Sept. 5, British prosecutors said they had discontinued
indecent assault charges against Weinstein after concluding
there was no realistic chance of securing a conviction.
Miramax's hit movies included "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp
Fiction." Weinstein's film studio filed for bankruptcy in March
2018.
(Reporting by Jack Queen; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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