NEW YORK (NY)
New York Times
June 5, 2018
By James C. McKinley Jr.
Harvey Weinstein returned to court in Manhattan on Tuesday to plead not guilty to sexual assault charges lodged against him in an indictment last week.
Mr. Weinstein, unshaven and in a black suit, limped slightly as he came into State Supreme Court in Manhattan at 10 a.m. The court clerk asked him how he pleaded to first-degree criminal sexual act and other charges, and he answered “not guilty” in a gravel baritone.
It was Mr. Weinstein’s first court appearance since his May 25 arrest on charges that he sexually assaulted two women in New York.
Last week, a grand jury indicted Mr. Weinstein, 66, on the same charges — one count each of first-degree rape and third-degree rape and one count of first-degree criminal sexual act.
Mr. Weinstein’s not-guilty plea had been expected. The disgraced movie producer has steadfastly denied he forced any of the dozens of women who have accused him of sexual misconduct to have sex with him. His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said two sexual encounters described in the indictment handed up last week were consensual.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.