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Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood executive whose alleged sexual misconduct ignited the #MeToo movement, faces fresh charges from a New York City grand jury, as announced by Manhattan prosecutors on Thursday.
Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg revealed in court that the details of the new indictment remain sealed. Judge Curtis Farber has scheduled a trial to begin on November 12. The district attorney’s office did not share specifics about the charges.
Following the hearing, Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, expressed uncertainty, stating, “We don’t know anything,” regarding the nature, locations, or timing of the new allegations.
NBC News had reported earlier this month that a grand jury was hearing new testimonies from women with fresh accusations against Weinstein, who is now 72 years old.
Weinstein was absent from Thursday’s court session as he recuperates from emergency heart surgery. He could face arraignment as soon as September 18.
More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, including assault or harassment. He has consistently denied these accusations, claiming the encounters were consensual.
Weinstein was convicted in New York in 2020 for third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sex act, receiving a 23-year prison sentence. However, this conviction was overturned in April by a state appellate court due to a judge’s error in allowing testimony from women whose allegations were not part of the case.
Weinstein has been held at the Rikers Island prison complex but will remain at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan instead of returning to the prison’s infirmary, as granted by Judge Farber.
Outside New York, Weinstein faced a 2022 trial in Los Angeles, resulting in convictions for one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault, leading to a 16-year sentence. His legal team is currently appealing this conviction.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Weinstein and his brother Bob were influential figures in the film industry, producing critical hits like “Pulp Fiction” and distributing Oscar-winning films such as “The English Patient,” “Shakespeare in Love,” and “The King’s Speech.”
Weinstein’s downfall began in October 2017, when women began publicly sharing their experiences of his abuse, sparking a broader conversation about power abuses in Hollywood and beyond.