The legal team of Harvey Weinstein have asked for the disgraced movie mogul’s criminal trial to be moved away from New York City.
Lawyer Arthur Aidala has filed a motion with the state appellate court suggesting the trial be held in upstate Albany County or Suffolk County on Long Island.
He cited intense media coverage and the “circus-like atmosphere” surrounding Weinstein’s past court appearances in Manhattan, noting that his name was mentioned online on the New York Post’s gossip column more than 11,000 times.
Mr Aidala wrote that the city “is the least likely place on earth where Mr Weinstein could receive a fair trial”. The court papers also argued that Manhattan is the centre of the #MeToo movement, which took off after numerous women accused Weinstein.
“It is difficult to conceive of a similar case in recent memory that has generated more inflammatory press coverage,” Mr Aidala wrote.
Weinstein, 67, is charged with raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006. He has pleaded not guilty and has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
