A judge who ruled an aspiring actress can use sex trafficking laws to sue Harvey Weinstein seems reluctant to let his decision be appealed before trial.
U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet noted at a hearing Wednesday that other judges have agreed with his reasoning since his August ruling. He didn’t immediately rule.
Attorney Phyllis Kupferstein, representing Weinstein, told Sweet an immediate appeal to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was appropriate for a new question of law.
In August, Sweet concluded the proverbial casting couch, in which women are asked to trade sex for Hollywood opportunities, could be considered a “commercial sex act.”
Weinstein’s lawyers say nothing of value was exchanged between an actress and Weinstein in 2014 when she alleges he molested her.
Weinstein denies wrongdoing.
