Harvey Weinstein got some (kinda) good news on Friday. A judge dropped two of the charges against him with the consent of prosecutors and defense lawyers. According to the paperwork, the judge did it to “simplify the issues at trial.”
To review, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office brought a new indictment with two predatory sexual assault counts so that Annabella Sciorra could testify against the disgraced movie mogul. That move resulted in the trial being pushed back to January 6th. Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon asked Justice James Burke to dismiss the first indictment’s two predatory sexual assault counts and consolidate the remaining charges with the new indictment.
Weinstein’s legal team didn’t have a problem with the consolidation because their original argument was that the new charges were redundant. Weinstein now faces five criminal charges in a single indictment – two predatory sexual assault counts, two rape counts, and one count of criminal sex act. He has entered not guilty pleas on all charges.
New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey broke the story about Weinstein’s sexual antics and inspired the #MeToo movement. Now they’re telling how they did in their new book, “She Said.” It follows the story from the exploratory phone calls to a mounting trail of evidence to a final faceoff with a belligerent Weinstein at the newspaper’s headquarters. It’s also reveals previously unknown sources. You can find out who when “She Said” hits stores tomorrow.
Source: Page Six