Harvey Weinstein trial can start within four months: Report
Washington [US], July 8 (ANI): American film producer Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of sexual misconduct, will be brought to trial within four months by the Los Angeles Country District Office.
ANI
Jul 08, 2021 23:56 IST
Washington [US], July 8 (ANI): American film producer Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of sexual misconduct, will be brought to trial within four months by the Los Angeles Country District Office.
Weinstein, who is still in prison in upstate New York, has been fighting his extradition since April. According to Variety, a judge in Buffalo, N.Y., gave approval on June 15 to move Weinstein to Los Angeles, with the transfer expected sometime in July. But, Weinstein's lawyers have continued to pursue their objections for the same, this time in Los Angeles.
The producer's lawyers have said in a petition last month that Weinstein is suffering from a severe cataract in his right eye and an active lesion in his left eye, and that in order to avoid going blind, he needs treatment that could take six to nine months.
They have also asked that the extradition should be delayed until after the treatment is over when the medical staff will give approval for the transfer.
Variety reported that under the law, Los Angeles prosecutors have 120 days to bring Weinstein to trial once he is transferred. His lawyers argue that the D.A.'s office knows it cannot bring Weinstein to trial within that time frame because he is not medically fit for the same
Responding to the same this week, prosecutors said that the L.A. County Sheriff's Department can provide adequate care and that the D.A.'s office has no problem with the 120-day deadline to start the trial.
"The People are ready to bring Petitioner to trial," wrote Deputy District Attorney Cassandra Thorpe, according to Variety.
Weinstein's lawyers are repeatedly arguing that the D.A.'s position forces Weinstein either to "forgo the treatment, and risk going blind", or waive his "right to a speedy trial once extradited".
Weinstein, who is 69 years old, faces 11 sexual assault charges in Los Angeles involving five women. He was convicted in February 2020 and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. (ANI)
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