The request to delay the rape and sexual assault trial of disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein in Los Angeles until after the release of a controversial movie about his case in November has been dismissed by a judge.
Judge Lisa Lench of LA Superior Court ruled that Weinstein, who is accused of 11 sexual assaults against five women, will proceed with the trial as scheduled, starting on October 10.
“I’m not [postponing] the trial,” Judge Lisa Lench stated on Monday, according to Variety, rejecting the argument from Weinstein’s lawyers that the documentary would unduly influence the jury pool. “We’ll just have to deal with it.”
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks and includes 269 individuals on the prosecution’s witness list.
Weinstein’s attorney, Mark Werksman, argued in his motion to postpone the trial that a ‘firestorm of publicity’ about the upcoming film She Said, produced by Brad Pitt, could ‘prejudice the jury’ against his client.
The movie, She Said, scheduled to be released in theaters on November 18, features Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, who penned an exposé on Weinstein in 2017.
Werksman expressed concern that billboards, other advertising, and social media about the movie might highlight the ‘lurid and negative aspects of this case,’ potentially influencing the jury against his client.
However, Judge Lench refused Werksman’s request to postpone the trial until at least January to allow the movie’s publicity to diminish, as Weinstein, dressed in brown prison overalls and seated in a wheelchair, appeared in court on Monday.
According to Variety, Weinstein’s attorneys also urged the judge to explore the possibility of replacing his missing teeth while in jail so he does not appear “indigent” as a witness. The judge said she would consider the matter but did not commit to granting improved dental care for the disgraced Oscar winner.