Harvey Weinstein is back in the courtroom spotlight, and it looks like he’s collected yet another set of charges like they’re rare Pokémon. Yep, the 72-year-old former king of Hollywood, who’s now more like the court jester, has been hit with fresh charges, courtesy of a New York City grand jury. According to NBC News, the juicy details of the new indictment are still locked up tighter than the plot to the next Marvel movie, so we’ll have to wait for the big reveal.
Judge Curtis Farber, clearly not a fan of dragging things out (looking at you, Game of Thrones finale), has set the trial date for November 12. Mark your calendars, people! Courtroom drama incoming.
Meanwhile, Harvey’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, is doing his best impersonation of a man who’s just been asked for directions in a foreign language. Outside the court, he basically threw up his hands and said, “We don’t know anything!” Like, literally. He could’ve added, “Where am I? What year is it? Is pineapple on pizza really a crime?” and it wouldn’t have sounded out of place. Apparently, the defense team is as clueless as the rest of us about what these new charges even are or where they supposedly happened. Stay tuned, I guess?
As for Harvey, well, he’s currently on a timeout at Rikers Island, which I hear has a lovely ambiance—if you’re into concrete décor and razor wire accents. He’s been recovering from emergency heart surgery this week, because, of course, all this courtroom stress is bound to give anyone palpitations. Word on the street is he could be back in court as early as September 18. If his legal life were a Netflix series, we’d be entering Season 12 by now.
Let’s not forget, this is the same guy who was accused by more than 80 women—which is more than the cast of Friends and The Office combined—of things that would make even a Bond villain blush. But Harvey? Nah, he’s stuck to the “it was all consensual” defense like it’s his favorite comfort blanket. Spoiler alert: not a great look.
In case you missed it, Weinstein was convicted in 2020 for some truly awful things (third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sex acts) involving two women. He was handed a 23-year sentence in New York, which was probably a bit of a mood-killer for his weekend plans. But, plot twist! In April, a state appellate court decided the judge was out here letting witnesses testify about unrelated stuff, so that conviction got overturned. Who knew court cases had deleted scenes?
Oh, but don’t worry—he’s still doing time. In 2022, a Los Angeles trial also found him guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault. For that one, he was slapped with another 16 years, and yes, his lawyers are already cooking up an appeal. Clearly, Harvey collects prison sentences the way some people collect stamps.
So, buckle up! It looks like this saga isn’t ending anytime soon.
