Less than four months before the disgraced producer will stand trial on sex assault charges, claims emerge that Benjamin Brafman will no longer represent him on the case.

• Jan 15, 2019

AceShowbiz - Harvey Weinstein is reportedly set to part ways with his high-powered attorney Benjamin Brafman as he prepares to stand trial in New York on sex assault charges.

The disgraced movie mogul stands accused of raping an unidentified woman in his hotel room in 2013 and forcing another into a sex act in 2006, but he has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex, and Brafman has been fighting to have the criminal counts dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

However, as the case moves forward, it appears Brafman will no longer be representing Weinstein.

According to ABC News, the top attorney is set to withdraw from the producer's team of legal representatives after purportedly clashing with his client over defence tactics.

A spokesperson for Weinstein did not deny the claims of Brafman's exit from the case, but insisted there was nothing to address just yet.

Prior to the split, Brafman was successful in having charges relating to one of the three sexual assault incidents filed against Weinstein dropped.

He then claimed to have obtained email evidence suggesting many of the statements made about Weinstein's supposed bad behaviour by his two alleged victims were fabricated, and also attacked prosecutors for putting forth a "deeply flawed indictment," accusing them of seeking to try the case in the press.

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to five counts of felony sexual assault and is free on $1 million (£760,000) bail.

A pre-trial conference is set to take place on March 7, ahead of his trial in May.