The extradition of convicted Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein to California to face charges of sex abuse has been delayed again over paperwork.
On Friday, Erie County Judge Kenneth Case said California prosecutors could arrange Weinstein’s transfer to Los Angeles within one month, barring another challenge from his lawyers. Despite the objections of Erie County prosecutor Colleen Curtin Gable, Norman Effman, representing Weinstein, said he intended to file another challenge to California’s extradition proceedings, which would require another court hearing date being set.
Weinstein appeared via an Erie County, New York virtual court hearing from a state prison near Buffalo where he is being held amid ongoing extradition proceedings to send him back to California. “I will await paperwork from you, if you so choose. Otherwise, the 30-day period has commenced, which will be until May 30,” Judge Case told the court.
That signaled California could make arrangements to have Weinstein transferred to Los Angeles on May 30, a date likely to lapse in the event of another court hearing. On April 12, during an earlier court hearing, Effman first announced that Weinstein had been indicted in California on sexual assault charges.
But Effman sought a delay in his extradition to California on grounds of missing paperwork. Los Angeles prosecutors filed new paperwork on April 27 to expedite the court proceedings.
Friday’s hearing hinged on whether Weinstein should earn another court hearing to challenge his extradition to California, before a court order is made. Mark Werksman, another of Weinstein lawyers who virtually observed the latest court hearing from Los Angeles, issued a statement from his client: “Harvey is eager to defend himself against these spurious charges, but he will only do so after being subject to a fair and lawful extradition process.”
The extradition proceedings involving prosecutors in California includes an arrest warrant and a sealed indictment after grand jury proceedings. In California, Weinstein has been charged with four counts of rape and sexual battery, which stem from accusations by two women who say Weinstein attacked them in hotels in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills in 2013. The L.A. charges carry a potential sentence of up to 28 years in state prison.
In New York, Weinstein was convicted of committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree and third-degree rape.
