HIs legal team reveals they planned to file the motion and use emails that reportedly showed one of the alleged victims was actually a romantic partner.
- Aug 4, 2018
AceShowbiz - Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has filed a motion to dismiss criminal charges against him.
The producer was taken into custody by New York authorities in May and indicted on two counts of rape and one for criminal sexual acts, relating to alleged incidents involving two women in 2004 and 2013. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry up to 25 years behind bars, and he was released on bail.
Last month, the Oscar winner, 66, was slapped with an additional count of criminal sexual act in the first degree and two counts of predatory sexual assault. He returned to court and pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this week, ends August 03, Weinstein's legal team revealed they planned to file the motion and use emails that reportedly showed one of the alleged victims was actually a romantic partner. They also alleged prosecutors knew of the existence of the emails, but didn't show them to the grand jury.
On Thursday, August 02, they were given permission to publish the emails.
"Mr. Weinstein categorically denies that he had non-consensual sex with any person, and specifically the three accusers in the pending indictment," the legal papers filed in New York Supreme Court on Friday, August 03 read.
"The pending indictment against Mr. Weinstein must be dismissed at the pretrial stage because it is legally infirm, based on the District Attorney's failure to provide exculpatory email evidence to the Grand Jury; failure to give adequate notice to the defense as requested that it was presenting new, far more serious charges to the Grand Jury; failure to indicate with sufficient specificity when the alleged crime in Count Six occurred; failure to prosecute Count Five within the five-year Statute of Limitations; and failure to provide the Grand Jury with sufficient evidence of the legally required element of force, as well as other Grand Jury deficiencies."
Prosecutors have not commented on the dismissal motion, according to Deadline.
Weinstein has been accused of bullying, harassment, misconduct, and/or rape by over 90 women, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Asia Argento, Rose McGowan, and Salma Hayek.
He has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
