Disgraced former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to a new sexual assault charge, years after accusations that he abused dozens of women made him the public face of the #MeToo movement in the United States.
The 72-year-old Weinstein entered a not-guilty plea before Justice Curtis Farber in a New York state court in Manhattan on Wednesday.
“Thanks to this survivor who bravely came forward, Harvey Weinstein now stands indicted for an additional alleged violent sexual assault,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
Prosecutors have accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting a woman in a Manhattan hotel between April 29 and May 6, 2006. No details about the accuser have been released.
Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala has said that Weinstein has “absolutely no clue” about the accuser’s identity or allegations.
“We have a lot of work to do. We have to find out who that person is. We have to do an investigation,” he said outside court, adding that Weinstein “never forced himself on anyone”.
The accuser’s lawyer, Lindsay Goldbrum, said in a statement that “she will be fully prepared to speak her truth at trial to hold Mr Weinstein accountable before a jury of his peers”.
Weinstein, who has denied any wrongdoing, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault charges in February 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
But that was overturned in April by New York state’s highest court, which said the former Hollywood producer did not get a fair trial because the judge allowed testimony from women who Weinstein was not charged with assaulting.
Women’s rights activists expressed outrage at that decision.
“Today’s ruling unfortunately casts a dark shadow on their bravery and will undoubtedly deter future sexual assault victims from coming forward,” Lindsay Goldbrum, a lawyer for Weinstein accusers, said at the time.
The former Hollywood producer, who is recovering from emergency heart surgery, appeared in court on Wednesday in a wheelchair wearing a dark suit.
In addition to the new charge, he also faces two other criminal counts in a separate indictment, including a first-degree criminal sexual act charge and a third-degree rape charge.
He also pleaded not guilty to those accusations.
