Weinstein Pleads Not Guilty

Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to three felony counts in New York Supreme Court. Weinstein has been accused by more than 80 women of sexual misconduct, including rape, and is currently facing two counts of rape and one first-degree criminal sex act charge.

The Manhattan D.A. leveled the charges against him. They stem from incidents in 2004 and 2013. He is also under investigation in London and L.A., but as of yet, no charges have been filed.

• He denies all allegations of nonconsensual sex and is free on $1 million cash bail. Weinstein surrendered to authorities on May 25^th, seven months after The New York Times and The New Yorker published blistering accounts of widespread sexual assault by the producer. He was indicted by a grand jury on May 30^th.
• “Under the circumstances, he’s holding up reasonably well. No one can be happy to be in the position that he is in,” his lawyer Benjamin Brafman said Tuesday outside court, CNN reports.
• “As terrible a crime as rape is, it is equally reprehensible to be falsely accused of rape, and since Mr. Weinstein has denied these allegations, that’s where we are,” he said.
• Since the reports about Weinstein were published in October, dozens of powerful men have been accused of sexual misconduct, and an entire #MeToo Movement against sexual assault has been born.
• Weinstein will appear in court for a hearing on September 20^th. On Friday, three women filed a lawsuit against Weinstein, his former employers (including Walt Disney Company and Miramax) and his lawyers.