Prosecutors have accused the disgraced former Hollywood actor of sexually assaulting a woman at a Manhattan hotel in 2006.
Disgraced former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to a new sexual assault charge, years after he was accused of abusing dozens of women, making him the public face of the #MeToo movement in the United States.
Weinstein, 72, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday before Justice Curtis Farber in New York state court in Manhattan.
“Because of this victim courageously coming forward, Harvey Weinstein has now been charged with an additional alleged predatory sexual assault,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
Prosecutors have accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting a woman at a Manhattan hotel between April 29 and May 6, 2006. No details have been released about the woman making the accusation.
Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, has said Weinstein has “absolutely no knowledge” of the accuser’s identity or the nature of the allegations.
“We have a lot of work to do. We have to find out who this person is. We have to investigate,” he said outside court, adding that Weinstein “never coerced anyone.”
The accuser’s attorney, Lindsay Goldbrum, said in a statement that she “will be fully prepared to speak her truth at trial to hold Mr. Weinstein accountable before a jury of his peers.”
Weinstein, who has denied any wrongdoing, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault charges in February 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
But in April New York state’s highest court overturned that ruling, saying the former Hollywood producer did not receive a fair trial because the judge admitted testimony from women Weinstein was not accused of assaulting.
Women’s rights activists expressed anger over this decision.
“Today’s verdict unfortunately casts a dark shadow over their bravery and will undoubtedly deter future victims of sexual assault from coming forward,” Lindsay Goldbrum, a lawyer for Weinstein’s accusers, said at the time.
The former Hollywood producer, who is recovering from emergency heart surgery, appeared in court on Wednesday in a wheelchair wearing a dark suit.
In addition to the new charge, he also faces two other criminal charges in a separate indictment, including a first-degree criminal sexual act charge and a third-degree rape charge.
He also declared himself innocent of these allegations.
