0/5

Weinstein pleads not guilty

Disgraced producer pleads not guilty to charges of rape and other acts of sexual misconduct, overnight.

Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and other acts of sexual misconduct.

The disgraced producer arrived at a Manhattan court house overnight (Australian time) as dozens of reporters lined up outside the building. The courthouse was packed, with people turned away.

The charges involve two alleged victims. The first, Lucia Evans, claims that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex at his Tribeca office in 2004. The other woman has not been named, but she is alleging that Weinstein held her against her will and raped her at a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.

Weinstein, 66, has been wearing a GPS-enabled monitoring device as part of a $1 million bail agreement. He is being represented by attorney Benjamin Brafman. This is the first case to be brought against Weinstein, but it may not be the only one. Prosecutors in Los Angeles and London are also reviewing allegations against the film producer.

Since being accused of assault and harassment last October by dozens of women, Weinstein has been forced out of the Weinstein Company, expelled from industry organisations such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and become the face of one of the biggest scandals in the history of the entertainment industry.

Source: Variety