Harvey Weinstein’s next courtroom battle is getting closer.
A lawyer for the former Hollywood mogul told a judge Monday that Weinstein was indicted in Los Angeles, where he faces charges of forcible rape and other crimes stemming from alleged assaults of five women. He’s now serving a 23-year term in New York after being convicted of sexual assault by a Manhattan jury last year.
Weinstein was first charged by Los Angeles prosecutors in 2020, and now the indictment by a state grand jury there marks the technical start of that case and means Weinstein may soon extradited to mount his defense. Appearing at a virtual hearing from Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York, defense lawyer Norman Effman told a judge that his client would seek to delay that case so he can first get medical treatment for diabetes and other conditions.
Weinstein appeared slimmer than he was at his Manhattan trial and smiled frequently during the hearing. He told his Los Angeles attorney, Mark Werksman, that he liked his comment dismissing the California case as “stale” in a weekend news story. The indictment remains under seal.
“I really, really appreciated that statement,” Weinstein told Werksman just before the hearing began. “That was awesome.”
{{/usCountry}}“I really, really appreciated that statement,” Weinstein told Werksman just before the hearing began. “That was awesome.”
{{/usCountry}}Weinstein’s next extradition hearing is set for April 30. A spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment.