LOS ANGELES – Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers are seeking to grill five new accusers before they can testify against him at his rape and sexual assault trial, which a judge on Friday said would begin October 10.
Weinstein attorney Mark Werksman filed a motion requesting access to the accusers Thursday, and likened the interviews he wants to conduct to five “mini-trials” that will allow him to weed out “disputed facts” before the women are allowed to take the stand against the convicted sex abuser.
“We asked the judge to have a hearing on each one of those witnesses to determine whether their testimony was credible enough to go before the jury,” Werksman told reporters outside of Los Angeles Superior Court following a pre-trial hearing in the case Friday.
“We’re afraid that the details from the five extra accusers on the record is going to be a big mess.”
Judge Lisa Lench has yet to rule on the motion, which remains under seal.
Weinstein, 70, was present for the brief hearing, looking slightly less worse for wear, in brown jail garb with a chain around his waist connected to handcuffs. He was spotted speaking with his lawyers and clutching a book about his home state of New York.
The court appearance was largely about setting trial dates and a timeline for pre-screening jurors.
Following the proceeding, Werksman slammed last week’s ruling by a New York appellate court that struck down his client’s bid to overturn his 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction — and said Weinstein’s attorneys are “vigorously fighting” the decision.
The ruling “ratified the worst misconduct that the prosecution committed in his New York trial,” Werksman charged.
“His appellate lawyers in New York plan on vigorously fighting this ruling and seeking review by a higher court.”
Werksman also addressed the new charges that Weinstein is now facing in the UK, saying they won’t impact his Los Angeles case because the alleged incident overseas happened in 1996.
Letch, the LA judge, is only allowing testimony from accusers who say they were abused between the early 2000s and 2016.
Weinstein is already serving out a 23-year prison sentence after he was convicted on rape charges in Manhattan in February 2020. He’s now facing a slew of rape and sexual battery charges in Los Angeles, raps he has pled not guilty to.
