Judge Denies Harvey Weinstein's Request To Dismiss Sexual Assault Charges

Harvey Weinstein’s request to dismiss a couple of sexual assault charges has been denied by a New York judge, ahead of the business mogul’s trial in January next year.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the decision of quashing the requests was announced by Judge James Burke on Wednesday. The judge has now made it harder for Weinstein to get away with the case since he made the two indictments even stronger, which seems to be a victory for the prosecutors.

The announcement means that a “Sopranos” actress, who accused the producer of rape, will now be able to testify against him. The victim, who is believed to be Annabella Sciorra, will now testify that Weinstein sexually assaulted her 26 years ago.

Weinstein’s defense had requested the court to dismiss the two counts of sexual assault charges sinc they believe that the allegations made by Sciorra are too old to be considered part of those charges. But prosecution wants them to be included because they want to prove that Weinstein is a sexual predator and a repeat sex offender.

However, the producer is unlikely to be criminally charged with sexual assault charges made by Sciorra because the statute of limitations has run out.

In 2017, Sciorra told The New Yorker that Weinstein violently raped her in the ‘90s and repeatedly sexually harassed her over the next several years. The Emmy-nominated actress also noted she was still really scared of him and that was the only reason why she had been struggling to speak about him for more than 20 years.

“I was so scared. I was looking out the window of my living room, and I faced the water of the East River. I really wanted to tell. I was like, ‘This is the moment you have been waiting for your whole life. I really, really panicked. I was shaking,” Sciorra said.

The “Me Too” movement started with a story published by The New York Times, detailing decades of allegations of sexual harassment against Weinstein. Actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd were among the women who came forward.

Dozens of A-list actresses broke their silence later and accused the producer of sexual misconduct. The names included the likes of Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cara Delevingne, Kate Beckinsale, Lena Headey, Lupita Nyong’o, Uma Thurman and Lea Seydoux.

As of late, more than 70 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. But he has repeatedly claimed all encounters were consensual.

The trial is expected to kick off Jan. 6, 2020.