Violence Against Women

Harvey Weinstein Pleads Not Guilty To New Charges in Sexual Assault Trial

On Monday, a New York City grand jury returned an indictment that included two new charges against former film producer Harvey Weinstein, who pled not guilty, pushing the trial date from early this September to January of 2020.

The charges came after new evidence was presented to the grand jury, allowing testimony from actress Annabella Sciorra, who alleged that Weinstein assaulted her in 1992. Weinstein has maintained that all of the reported incidents were consensual, despite over 80 women coming forward to accuse the producer of sexual harassment, assault, and misconduct.

Sciorra alleges that Weinstein raped her after he offered to drive her home during the filming of a movie produced by his company Miramax. After entering her apartment without incident, Weinstein later knocked on her door, pushed his way in, and began to take off his shirt.

“This is not happening,” Sciorra told him. “You’ve got to go. You have to leave. Get out of my apartment.”

Weinstein currently faces five felony charges including two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of criminal sexual act in the first degree, one count of first-degree rape, and one count of third-degree rape. If convicted, Weinstein faces the possibility of life imprisonment.

Sources: The Guardian 8/26/19; Huffington Post 8/26/19; Feminist Newswire 10/11/17

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