NEW YORK — A Manhattan judge has granted a motion from prosecutors to consolidate Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on sex crime charges with a new case involving a 2006 allegation of forced oral sex.
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Judge Curtis Farber agreed with prosecutors on Wednesday that merging the cases into a single trial would be more efficient than conducting separate trials. Prosecutors argued that holding two separate trials would be “extraordinarily inefficient.”
Although Farber has yet to set an official trial date, he indicated the trial would likely take place in the spring. This timeline disappointed Weinstein’s defense team, which had hoped for a quicker resolution.
Weinstein, who appeared in court in a wheelchair following a recent bone marrow cancer diagnosis, is next scheduled to appear in court on January 29. The former movie mogul is currently being held at Rikers Island in New York, where he has been dealing with numerous health issues amid his ongoing legal battles over sexual assault allegations.
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Weinstein has denied all accusations of sexual misconduct, maintaining that his encounters were consensual. Last month, he pleaded not guilty to the latest charge stemming from the 2006 incident.
“Mr. Weinstein has been very consistent from the time of his investigation. He never forced himself on anybody,” said his attorney, Arthur Aidala, outside the courthouse after Weinstein’s arraignment on September 19.
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Weinstein is also facing charges from a previous New York State Supreme Court indictment, which includes criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
The consolidation of these cases sets the stage for another significant chapter in Weinstein’s long-running legal proceedings.
