New evidence undermines 2013 rape charge against Harvey Weinstein, say lawyers

The lawyers said that the woman who accused Weinstein of rape attended one of his screenings on the day of the alleged assault.

By PTI | Dec 08, 2018, 05.48 PM IST

NEW YORK: A woman who claims Harvey Weinstein raped her in 2013 attended one of his screenings the same day of the alleged assault, Weinstein's lawyers said Friday in a letter to a New York City judge overseeing his criminal case.

The letter says a friend of the alleged victim received an invitation to the screening and responded to an assistant for Weinstein in an email that the two would attend.

When the email came to its attention, the defense team interviewed the friend, who confirmed that they went to the event and met up with Weinstein there, the letter says.

The account calls into question "why would an alleged rape victim go out of her way to spend time with her 'rapist' merely hours after she was allegedly attacked," the letter said.

The letter also claims that the witness had already disclosed the information to New York City Police Department investigators but it was never disclosed to the defense - legal grounds for dismissing the charges.

The Manhattan district attorney's office had no immediate comment Friday. The filing follows one last month in which Weinstein's lawyers said the same friend told defense investigators that Weinstein and the rape accuser had been "hooking up" consensually for a long time and that she never heard the accuser say anything bad about him until last year.

From Harvey Weinstein To Bill Cosby's Trials & Convictions: #TimesUp Sends Clear Message

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It all started with Harvey Weinstein in 2017 and four months in to 2018 and now with Bill Cosby's conviction, things are certainly looking up for the #MeToo movement. The number of cases of sexual harassment in Hollywood that have come to light since 2017 has been outstanding. It could also be called the 'Weinstein Effect'. Many of the women who spoke out against Weinstein -- Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan -- are famous names.

2018 has been no different and in a breakthrough trial, after decades of whispers, lawsuits, investigations and close calls - and a multitude of women who lost hope anyone would ever believe their word against that of America's Dad - Bill Cosby could be headed to prison at age 80 for the remainder of his life. Cosby's conviction will only bolster the #MeToo movement.

But they weren't alone, it was almost like a Pandora's Box was opened and a lot of names came out. Let's look at all the accused men:

The friend has not been identified in the court papers. Prosecutors dropped part of the case in October after evidence surfaced that a detective coached a witness.

Three of the five remaining charges stem from the allegations at the heart of the recent defense filings, that Weinstein raped a woman in a hotel room in March 2013.

The two other charges allege that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on another woman in 2006 at his Manhattan apartment. Prosecutors have said there was "ample evidence" to move forward with the case.

They also accused the defense of trying to create a "public circus" with its claims authorities are hiding evidence that could clear Weinstein.

Harvey Weinstein Is Not Alone, Here Are Some Other Famous Offenders

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A woman journalist, who used to work with Tejpal, had accused the then editorin-chief of sexually assaulting her during an event in Goa in 2013.

The woman claimed that Tejpal assaulted her inside an elevator of a fi ve-star hotel during a conference organised by the magazine. Last month, a Goa court finally framed charges against him.

Tejpal denied the charge but was arrested based on CCTV footage gathered by the police. On September 26, the Bombay High Court refused to put a stay on the framing of charges against Tejpal, but agreed to hear his petition on November 1.