On Tuesday, a New York judge on the extradition request for disgraced film producer, Harvey Weinstein.
The request was to extradite Weinstein to Los Angeles so that the former movie producer could face further sexual assault charges. Weinstein’s attorney tried to delay the extradition but was denied by the court. They argued that Los Angeles prosecutors failed to properly fill out paperwork and also expressed concerns that their client would not have access to proper medical treatment while awaiting arraignment. Weinstein’s attorney, Norman Effman however indicated that they planned to appeal the judge’s ruling.
We are disappointed in this decision today,” a representative for Weinstein told The Hollywood Reporter. “Just now, Mr. Weinstein’s attorney filed a writ of Habeas Corpus with the L.A. county Superior Court. We are asking the court to hold off the extradition of Mr. Weinstein to Los Angeles until he can receive his needed medical care here in New York.”
Last year, a jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape. He is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in a maximum-security prison.
Weinstein is also charged with 11 counts of sexual assault in Los Angeles involving five women. According to CNN, the charges include four counts of forcible rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint, and one count of sexual penetration by use of force. The assaults apparently took place between 2004 and 2013.
However, Weinstein has effectively denied all the allegations. A spokesman for the former producer, Juda Engelmayer said,
“Harvey Weinstein has always maintained that every one of his physical encounters throughout his entire life have been consensual. That hasn’t changed,”
#MeToo
He became the face of the #MeToo movement back in 2017 after The New Yorker magazine and The New York Times published articles detailing allegations by women claiming he committed rampant sexual misconduct against them.
He and his brother Bob Weinstein co-founded the entertainment company Miramax in 1979. During his career, Weinstein had produced award-winning films like Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, and Gangs of New York.