Harvey Weinstein’s extradition to California has been delayed a second time due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Weinstein attended a hearing on the matter on Friday via video link. He joined from the maximum-security Wende Correctional Facility, located east of Buffalo, New York, where he is currently being held.
Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case agreed to postpone Weinstein’s extradition hearing until 9 April, amounting to a four-month delay. Another four-month delay had been granted in August, when the hearing had been pushed back to December.
Weinstein is facing sexual assault charges in California. He was convicted in February this year of a criminal sex act and third-degree rape after a criminal trial in New York City. A judge sentenced him to 23 years in prison the following month.
On Friday, Weinstein was seated at a table, wearing a maroon polo shirt and face mask. He spoke only briefly, to answer a series of questions from the judge.
Weinstein waved his hand and shook his head in objection to a news station's request to allow a television camera in the courtroom. The judge kept the camera out but allowed media to record the video proceedings.
“We’re not looking for publicity, judge,” Weinstein’s attorney, Norman Effman, said.
Weinstein faces charges involving five women in California, stemming from alleged assaults in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2004 and 2013. He has maintained his innocence and denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
Because Weinstein is imprisoned in New York, a judge must sign off on transferring him to the custody of Los Angeles authorities to be tried there.
Effman cited Weinstein's health in supporting the continued delay of the extradition proceedings originally scheduled for August.
“Obviously, the pandemic has become worse rather than better,” Effman said. “The issues pertaining to transportation of someone from New York to California, and specifically with respect to Mr Weinstein’s own very serious health conditions, remains the same.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office agreed to the first delay because of the pandemic as well.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
