On Thursday, a judge in New York ruled that Harvey Weinstein's case can move forward. A year ago there seemed to be no question that the Hollywood mogul would face jail time. Several women, including some very famous ones, accused the producer of taking advantage of his powerful Hollywood position and sexually assaulting them. The allegations resulted in his fall from grace and spawned the powerful "Me Too" movement. But, after months of missteps from prosecutors and the district attorney, and at least one charge against him being dismissed, there was some doubt as to whether the legal case against him would stand.
Weinstein's attorney Benjamin Brafman wanted the five outstanding charges dropped, noting in court Thursday that his client insists he has "never engaged in non-consensual sex with anyone" and that his female accusers are lying.
Brafman also noted how New York Police Department detective Nicholas DiGaudio, the lead detective in the case against Weinstein, made a series of mistakes when interviewing accusers. He failed to warn witnesses about inconsistencies in their stories and even encouraged one woman to erase personal data from her phone before handing it over to police.
Still, at Thursday's short hearing the judge believed there was enough evidence to proceed.
The next hearing is scheduled for March.
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