Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to sexual assault in Los Angeles

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Weinstein, 69, appeared in a wheelchair during the hearing, while a medical mask covered his mouth and sat under his nose.

His use of a wheelchair reflects what his lawyers have said to be the deterioration in his physical health in recent years. During his criminal trial in New York early last year, he arrived in court each day using a walker and appeared upon his conviction in March 2020 in a wheelchair.

In Wednesday’s short hearing, Weinstein did and said little. His lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss three of the 11 charges against him, claiming the statute of limitations has expired. The lawyer also requested a medical assessment, which the judge granted.

The 11 counts include four counts of forced rape, four counts of forced oral copulation, two counts of coercive sexual assault and one count of sexual penetration by use of force. The alleged assaults involved five women between 2004 and 2013.

His next court appearance is July 29.

The court hearing comes nearly four years after investigative articles from the New York Times and The New Yorker exposed Weinstein’s alleged track record of sexual abuse, harassment and secret settlements while he was using her influence as a power broker in Hollywood to take advantage of young women.

The revelations led a wave of women to speak publicly about the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and harassment in what is known as the #MeToo movement.

Weinstein was convicted last year in New York of first-degree felony sex act and third-degree rape and is serving a 23-year sentence in a maximum security prison outside of Buffalo. He did not testify in his own defense, but during his sentencing last March he gave an unexpected and rambling speech that wavered between remorse, defense of his actions and confusion.

“I’m not going to say they’re not great people, I had a wonderful time with these people, you know,” Weinstein said of the women who accused him of assault. “It’s just that I’m totally confused and I think men are confused about all of these issues.”

Due to his declining health, his lawyers decried the long prison term as a de facto life sentence. His legal team appealed earlier this year, saying a biased judge and juror tainted the trial.

Last month, a New York judge approved his extradition to Los Angeles County to face new charges.

He was originally charged in Los Angeles County in January 2020 with sexually assaulting two women in separate incidents over a two-day period in 2013. In April, prosecutors added an additional charge that stemmed from a alleged incident at a Beverly Hills hotel in May 2010., and in October, prosecutors added six new charges.

He denied the allegations, according to his spokesman Judah Engelmayer.

“Harvey Weinstein has always maintained that each of his physical encounters throughout his life was consensual. That hasn’t changed,” Engelmayer said.

CNN’s Lauren del Valle contributed to this report.

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