Harvey Weinstein will stand trial for sexual assault in May, according to court papers filed by his lawyers this week.
"Not only is Mr. Weinstein under indictment, his trial is scheduled for May 6, 2019. Mr. Weinstein and his counsel will be fully engaged in preparing for what will be a closely watched trial that will last six weeks from jury selection through verdict," Weinstein's civil lawyers wrote in a Manhattan Federal Court filing (via Vulture).
"It would be an overwhelming burden for Mr. Weinstein to have to litigate this case at great risk to his right against self-incrimination and at the expense of his time and efforts to prepare for criminal trial."
Weinstein faces five charges involving alleged sexual assault on two women, although the case initially included another charge of sexual assault on a third woman. The charge was dismissed by a judge in New York. Prosecutors said actress Lucia Evans had given a witness a different version of the alleged sex assault from the one she had given them (via BBC).
Evans told US media that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004. Weinstein has denied all the charges.
The ousted Hollywood director has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 70 women. The accusations followed the rise of the MeToo movement and Time's Up Initiative which has seen prominent women accusing men in powerful positions of sexual abuse and harassment.
He has agreed to wear a GPS tracker and to surrender his passport.
Weinstein is also being sued over an alleged sexual assault by a British woman who alleges that he groped her at Cannes in 2014. Hollywood actress Ashley Judd is also suing him for allegedly destroying her career after she rejected his advances.
Weinstein has been on bail since his arrest in May last year, and has denied having non-consensual sex, his lawyers have previously said.
Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
