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Lawyers for the Hollywood producer, during a brief Los Angeles courtroom appearance, got more time to prepare a motion for a new trial.
By Etan Vlessing
Canada Bureau Chief
Harvey Weinstein’s sentencing for his rape conviction in a Los Angeles trial last month has been pushed to February so his lawyers can prepare a motion for a new trial.
On Monday, Weinstein appeared briefly in an L.A. courtroom, where Judge Lisa Lench agreed to reschedule the former movie mogul’s sentencing to Feb. 23, at the request of his defense.
As part of the proceedings, Weinstein waived his right to have the sentencing take place sooner. On Feb. 23, Judge Lench will hear the defense’s motion for a new trial which, if denied, is expected to be followed by sentencing on the rape conviction that day.
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On Dec. 19, after 10 days of deliberations, an L.A. jury found Weinstein guilty of rape. But, in a mixed verdict, the 12-member group acquitted the disgraced Hollywood producer of another sexual assault charge related to a different Jane Doe accuser and couldn’t reach a decision on three other counts.
No decision has yet been made by prosecutors on whether to retry Weinstein on the mistrial counts. His latest trial centered on testimony from four women, all known as Jane Does in court, who accused Weinstein of raping or sexually assaulting them from 2004 to 2013.
Four others also testified that they were assaulted, though their claims didn’t lead to charges. In total, prosecutors called 44 witnesses to the stand to make their case against Weinstein.
The former Hollywood producer is currently serving a 23-year sentence following his conviction by a New York jury in February 2020 of committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree and third-degree rape. He appealed the sentence, but it was affirmed by an appeals court in June.
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