Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a pair of alleged sexual assaults in New York City.
Weinstein was flanked by cameras as he entered a lower Manhattan courthouse Tuesday morning alongside attorney Benjamin Brafman. Weinstein was indicted by a grand jury last week on two counts of rape in the first degree, rape in the third degree and committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree for alleged forcible sexual acts against two women in 2004 and 2013.
Attorney Gloria Allred, a longtime champion of women's rights who has represented many of the women accusing comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault, was reportedly in the courtroom, seated in the gallery.
Weinstein has repeatedly denied allegations he has engaged in non-consensual sex with women, and his attorney has called the charges in New York "constitutionally flawed."
The 66-year-old surrendered to police last month in lower Manhattan, where he was marched past a throng of reporters outside the New York City Police Department's 1st Precinct. His arrest marked a significant victory for the #MeToo movement, which was born after dozens of women came forward to accuse the disgraced film mogul of using his power and influence to sexually exploit young women, many of whom were aspiring actresses.
Prosecutors have not named the victims, though one is believed to be a woman who accused Weinstein of sexual assault in an October 2017 article that appeared in The New Yorker magazine.
A judge last month ordered Weinstein to submit to round-the-clock GPS monitoring, and ordered him to restrict his travel to New York and Connecticut. Weinstein was also made to surrender his passport, and one of the victims has obtained a restraining order against him.
Weinstein's attorney, Benjamin Brafman, told reporters last month he believed his client would be acquitted at trial as long as the jury is "not consumed by the movement that seems to have overtaken this case."
"Mr. Weinstein did not invent the casting couch in Hollywood," Brafman said. "And to the extent that there is bad behavior in that industry, that is not what this is about. Bad behavior is not on trial in this case. It's only if you intentionally committed a criminal act, and Mr. Weinstein vigorously denies that."
Brafman has also said he plans to file a motion to dismiss the charges. He had not explained on what grounds he would do so.
The charges in New York are the first to surface in the months since more than 80 women came forward to accuse Weinstein of a range of misconduct, from harassment to rape. The accusations sparked the #MeToo movement, which has seen countless victims come forward to accuse powerful Hollywood figures, entertainers and musicians of sexually exploitation and rape. A raft of notable personalities, including comedian Louis CK, former news anchor Matt Lauer and actor Kevin Spacey, have been ensnared by such accusations in recent months.
As the case in New York proceeds, authorities in Southern California and London are continuing to investigate allegations against Weinstein.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office is currently reviewing five investigations into the 66-year-old _ two brought by by Beverly Hills police and three that were investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department's elite Robbery-Homicide Division.
Law enforcement sources have told The Times that one particular case in Los Angeles, an Italian actress' allegation of rape in 2013, is promising for prosecution. The woman told her story to three people, including a priest, relatively soon after the alleged attack, the sources said. Detectives also have evidence the woman was a guest at the Beverly Hills hotel where she claims Weinstein attacked her, the sources said.
The case does have flaws, they added. Detectives found little physical evidence of an attack and have been unable to secure proof that Weinstein was at the hotel when the woman says the rape occurred.
Three women filed a lawsuit against Weinstein last week, including a technology sales executive who accused him of rape.
