Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to two new charges of predatory sexual assault as trial delayed

‘The Sopranos’ star Annabella Sciorra alleges that Weinstein raped her in 1993

Harvey Weinstein exits court on 26 August, 2019 in New York City. (Getty)

Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty on Monday to two new charges of predatory sexual assault, as his trial was pushed back by several months.

The producer entered the plea in a Manhattan courtroom where the charges were added to his upcoming New York trial in a new indictment.

Prosecutors have previously indicated that the new indictment lays the legal foundation to enable The Sopranos star Annabella Sciorra to testify against the movie mogul.

Sciorra alleges that Weinstein raped her in 1993.

While the alleged attack is said to have happened too long ago to be prosecuted under state law, prosecutors want to use Sciorra’s testimony to bolster the predatory sexual assault charges against Weinstein and demonstrate that the alleged behaviour was part of a pattern.

The defence criticised the new indictment in court papers, calling it an “11th-hour manoeuvre” that “raises significant legal issues” and could delay the proceedings.

Weinstein’s sexual assault trial, which was supposed to begin on 9 September, has now been pushed to January.

The movie mogul’s lawyers have sought to move the case out of New York City, citing the “circus-like” atmosphere of pretrial publicity and claiming it would be impossible to find an impartial jury to rule on Weinstein’s case. Suffolk County on Long Island or Albany County in upstate New York have been floated by Weinstein’s team as possible venues.

Weinstein, who is currently free on $1m bail, has denied all accusations of non-consensual sex.

His lawyers said after Monday’s hearings that they would ask a judge to dismiss the new indictment, calling it a “desperate” attempt to salvage the case against Weinstein.

“I think the case itself is weak,” said his lawyer Donna Rotunno.

Sciorra’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, asked of the defence team: “Why are they so afraid of having additional witnesses testify?”

Allred also said her client was willing to share her story to bring Weinstein to justice.

Weinstein previously pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of allegedly raping a woman in 2013 and allegedly performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006.

Those two women are among the roughly 70 people who have accused the movie producer of sexual misconduct allegedly dating back decades.

Weinstein has denied the allegations and said any sexual encounters were consensual.

Accusations against the producer made headlines around the world after the publication of two reports in October 2017 – one in The New York Times by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, and the other in The New Yorker by Ronan Farrow.

Additional reporting by agencies