A federal judge approved a motion on Friday to consolidate the charges in the criminal trial for Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie mogul who has been accused by several women of rape and sexual assault.
Weinstein, whose trial is set for Jan. 6, 2020, was previously indicted last month on two new charges of predatory sexual assault following testimony from the actress Annabella Sciorra, who has said she was raped by Weinstein in 1993.
The consolidation, which was voluntarily requested by the district attorney’s office, dismisses prosecutors’ earlier charges of predatory sexual assault and essentially replaces them with the two new charges of predatory sexual assault that were included in the indictment last month. The request, according to a letter sent by the D.A.’s office to the presiding judge on Thursday, was made in order to “simplify the issues at trial.”
Though Weinstein cannot be charged due to the statute of limitations for raping Sciorra, her testimony can be used in January’s trial to strengthen the D.A.’s case against Weinstein. Weinstein, who pleaded not guilty to the August indictment, faces two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of first-degree criminal sexual assault, one count of first-degree rape, and one count of third-degree rape.