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Manhattan prosecutors told a New York judge on Wednesday they are evaluating more sexual misconduct claims against a disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and could potentially seek a new charge against him before his scheduled retrial on rape and sexual assault charges.
Assistant District Attorney Nicole Bloomberg said during a court hearing that additional people have come forward with assault claims, and prosecutors are now evaluating who falls within the statute of limitations.
Bloomberg said some would-be survivors weren’t ready to come forward during Weinstein’s first hit new York the trial may be willing to testify.
Asked by Judge Curtis Farber if there was an opportunity for prosecutors to file a new charge, Bloomberg said, “Yes, your honor.”
Bloomberg said prosecutors would be in a better position to brief the court on the direction of the case in late June.
Farber set the next hearing for July 9. A retrial on the rape charge is scheduled for sometime after Labor Day this September.
Weinstein appeared before a judge Wednesday afternoon in the same New York courthouse where former President Donald Trump, has been judged and the jury in his criminal case began deliberations.
Weinstein to face retrial on rape charges after sentencing in 2020 was thrown away in April. Wednesday’s court hearing was held to address various legal issues related to the upcoming trial.
Weinstein’s original trial took place in the same courtroom where Trump is now on trial, but the two men did not clash. Weinstein is in custody and being escorted to and from the courtroom under guard, appearing in a courtroom on a different floor than the one where Trump was tried.
Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape for assaulting Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress, and sexually assaulting Miriam Haley, a former TV and film production assistant.
The New York Supreme Court threw out those convictions after finding that the judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women who were not part of the case.
Weinstein, 72, maintains that all sexual activity is consensual.
The decision in New York opened a new painful page in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful individuals. The #MeToo era began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein. The leaders of the movement said the cause will continue.
Last week, prosecutors asked Judge Curtis Farber to remind Weinstein’s lawyers not to discuss or publicly humiliate potential witnesses before the retrial.
Weinstein, who was serving a 23-year sentence in New York, was too convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 for another rape and is still serving a 16-year prison sentence in California.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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