Harvey Weinstein, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the charges of sexual assault and rape against him in New York, has now been extradited to Los Angeles to face trial for 11 counts of rape and sexual assault in the state of California. Weinstein’s lawyers are crying wolf and using every excuse in the book to try to get Weinstein out of the sentence he already has, as well as any further sentencing. From saying he’s “too ill” to go to California to saying that the allegations against him have expired because of the statute of limitations, Weinstein’s team isn’t about to let him face consequences for his actions.
As Kayleigh Donaldson reported for Pajiba:
“Harvey Weinstein made his first court appearance in Los Angeles on Wednesday to plead not guilty to 11 counts of rape and sexual assault. Weinstein, a convicted rapist currently serving a 23-year jail sentence in New York, was extradited to California on Tuesday and is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown L.A.”
Weinstein’s lawyer, Mark Werksman, said that they were going to “challenge three of the 11 counts on the grounds of the expired statute of limitations.” Not only are they trying to get some of the charges thrown out on that basis, but they’re even attacking the ones that don’t exceed the statute of limitations on the basis of how long it’s been. They also claim that there is no “scientific” evidence that he committed these crimes and that for these reasons, “if we can have a fair trial, Mr. Weinstein will be acquitted.”
Attorney Gloria Allred, according to The Guardian, spoke to reporters outside of the courtroom. Allred is representing two of the accusers and had this to say in regards to this “allegations are too old” play by Weinstein’s team:
“Allegations of sexual assault and rape do take a long time to report, so the idea that they may not have disclosed to a law enforcement officer for many years does not mean that those are not credible.”
If found guilty of all the charges against him, Weinstein could be facing over 100 years in prison.
To be honest, this is terrifying given that Bill Cosby just managed to escape his own consequences for the 60 women who came forward in regards to the sexual assault allegations against him. The idea that Harvey Weinstein could also walk free or get his case thrown out or any of the possibilities therein is horrifying—not only because it’s just another show of the power that these men have over the world, but more than that, it would certainly help others do the same in the future.
Weinstein’s team if fighting to prove he deserves to be free because he’s sick. Not because he’s innocent, because he’s “too ill.” Right now, Harvey Weinstein has 23 years in prison to serve, and we’ll see what Weinstein’s team tries to do because, frankly, I don’t think I can handle Weinstein walking free after everything.
(image: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
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