Prosecutors said they might bring new charges against Harvey Weinstein, based on claims from additional accusers, ahead of the disgraced movie mogul’s rape case retrial in New York.
At a hearing Wednesday, May 29, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said that “some people who were not ready to speak out in 2020 now appear ready to do so.” She added, per The Associated Press, that prosecutors are trying to figure out which of these claims fall under the statute of limitations and that they would be able to provide a better update on the case at the end of June. A hearing on discovery and compliance was scheduled for July 9.
Blumberg revealed the potential new indictment while speaking with Judge Curtis Farmer about a letter prosecutors sent to the court, asking the judge to remind Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala not to make public comments about witnesses, lest it deter others from coming forward. The letter was sent after Aidala spoke at a press conference following a hearing earlier this month and made comments about one of Weinstein’s accusers from the first trial, Miriam Haley.
Aidala said he would “make sure that I don’t get so close to that line again,” and the judge told both sides to “refrain from pandering to press.” Aidala also reportedly made numerous objections to the prosecution’s use of the word “survivor” as they discussed the potential new accusers (he reportedly recommended the term “complaining witness” instead).
Aidala said Weinstein was not worried about additional survivors coming forward and having an impact on the retrial.
Weinstein’s retrial is expected to begin this fall, tentatively after Labor Day in September. His 2020 conviction was overturned in April, with an appeals court ruling that the judge who oversaw the first trial should not have allowed testimony from Weinstein accusers who were not part of the charges against him.
