Harvey Weinstein can be transferred to Los Angeles, judge rules

Jailed ex-filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a 23-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York, can be transferred to Los Angeles, a judge ruled Tuesday, paving the way for a new trial on additional charges.

Lawyers for Weinstein, who was found guilty last year in a landmark verdict for the #MeToo movement, had been arguing for weeks against the transfer, most notably on medical grounds.

However, Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case rejected the arguments, giving a green light for the transfer during a video hearing.

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While no date has yet been set, Los Angeles prosecutors expect to remove Weinstein from the Erie County prison sometime between late June and mid-July, a spokeswoman for the county prosecutor said.

At the end of the hearing, Weinstein plunged his head into his hands.

The 69-year-old former Hollywood mogul is accused in Los Angeles of rape and sexual assault against five women, which would make him eligible for up to 140 years in prison.

Weinstein denies all charges, and has always maintained that his interactions with the women who brought the New York and Los Angeles cases against him were consensual.

Weinstein filed an appeal in April in New York against the rape and sexual assault convictions.

In total nearly 90 women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault.