Harvey Weinstein Was Hit With A New Indictment, Clearing The Way For Annabella Sciorra To Testify Against Him
The two women who are at the center of Harvey Weinstein’s upcoming criminal trial for alleged predatory sexual assault have issued another indictment against him, adding two new charges. Harvey, of course, pleaded not guilty, but this latest development opens the door for actress Annabella Sciorra to testify at this trial. According to CBS News, this means Harvey’s trial date has been postponed. Instead of starting on September 9, as previously scheduled, it won’t begin until January 6. That’s disappointing to those of us who are eager to see Harvey’s inevitable Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men impression where his hubris gets the better of him on the stand. But hopefully, the fact that the judge yelled at Harvey today for being on his cell phone will tide us over.
CBS News reports that Annabella’s testimony will be key in proving a pattern of predatory sexual assault. Annabella claims that Harvey raped her in her Gramercy Park Hotel in 1993. She detailed that alladged encounter in a 2017 New Yorker interview with Ronan Farrow.
Sciorra isn’t being added as a victim in the case because the alleged attack took place too long ago to be prosecuted under state law, but prosecutors want to use her testimony to prove that Weinstein had a pattern of assaulting women. That’s necessary to prove the charge of predatory sexual assault.
Weinstein previously pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment accusing him of raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006. The two charges in the new indictment relate to the same women, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors have asked a judge to consolidate the two indictments into one case.
The New York Times reports that in addition to Annabella’s testimony, the Manhattan district attorney’s office “is also expected to call on three other women to testify about Mr. Weinstein’s ‘prior bad acts’ to establish a pattern of behavior”. I hope Harvey was shaking in his boots today, only he wasn’t wearing boots. According to Vulture, Harvey’s tacky ass came to court wearing “chocolate-brown sneakers”. If decades of alleged predatory sexual behaviour and rape aren’t enough to send him to prison for life, brown sneakers should be sufficient grounds.
Harvey’s hubris really is (fingers crossed) going to be the death of him. Vulture also reports that even though today’s hearing was brief, he still managed to piss off the judge.
“I’ve been informed you have taken your cell phone out,” Justice James Burke said at the conclusion of a brief proceeding. “Please refrain from doing that.”
“Your Honor —” Weinstein started to respond.
“It’s a court order,” Burke retorted sternly. “Don’t talk to me,” the judge then instructed, directing Weinstein to speak with his lawyer.
The judge continued by saying “now get your ugly caca shoe-wearing ass outta my sight you depraved low-life”, but sadly, only in my imagination.
Pic: Wenn.com