The Los Angeles District Attorney has again indicted producer Harvey Weinstein, reviving a sexual battery charge that was dismissed by a judge last week. This is the fourth time the Los Angeles D.A. has indicted Weinstein.
Last week, Weinstein’s lawyers were successful in getting one of the 11 charges he faced dismissed by judge Lisa B. Lench on grounds related to the statute of limitations. Prosecutors have now issued a new indictment tied to the same incident, which includes seven additional findings based on the disputed count.
Weinstein now once again faces 11 charges of rape and sexual assault against five alleged victims.
Earlier in July, Weinstein pleaded not guilty to the 11 charges after being extradited to Los Angeles. The reported incidents took place between 2004 and 2013. The previously disputed charge — Count 5 — stems from an accusation from May 11, 2010, in which Weinstein was accused of assaulting a woman in a Beverly Hills hotel room. Prosecutors first filed the charge in April of 2020, which would be just at the tail end of the 10-year statute of limitations.
Weinstein is being held without bail in the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles.
Before his extradition to Los Angeles, he was previously convicted of rape and sexual assault of two women in New York and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Weinstein was first charged by previous L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey in January 2020 during the early stages of Weinstein’s New York trial. The Los Angeles trial was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created a backlog of cases for the courts. Weinstein’s attorneys also sought to delay the trial by arguing that the producer could not be extradited to Los Angeles due to his failing eyesight and other health concerns.
If convicted, he could face a maximum of 140 years in prison, though he will be sent back to New York to serve the remainder of his sentence there following the Los Angeles trial. Defense attorneys have appealed the New York ruling, arguing that Weinstein was denied the right to a fair trial due to faulty rulings from the judge.
Weinstein is meant to be arraigned on the new indictment on Monday, Aug. 23, though it may be pushed until Sept. 13.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
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