Harvey Weinstein is going back on trial this fall

Harvey Weinstein will be retried “sometime after Labor Day” a judge said today, during the disgraced movie mogul’s first appearance in court since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by a New York court last week (via ABC News). “We believe in this case, and we will be retrying this case,” prosecutors added (via Deadline). “It was a strong case in 2020… and it remains a strong case in 2024.”

Weinstein was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair today, for a hearing that lasted less than 20 minutes in total. The 72-year-old defendant, who has cardiac issues and diabetes, has been hospitalized since Friday, but his lawyer, Arthur Aidala, described him as “sharp as a tack. As sharp as he ever was.” The lawyer added, “It’s a new trial, it’s a new day… his life is on the line.” Weinstein did not speak during the hearing.

This ruling means Weinstein’s victims in this particular case, Mimi Haley and Jessica Mann, will be asked to repeat their testimony on the stand. On Friday, Haley, who was not in attendance during today’s hearing (her lawyer, Gloria Allred, was present), said she was still considering whether or not she would speak. “It involves so much re-traumatizing and re-hashing and re-living over and over again… I definitely don’t want to go through that again,” she said, per CNN. On the other hand, “This isn’t just about me. It’s a really important case. It’s in the public eye, which is difficult for me personally, but is important for the collective. Those are the reasons I would still do it again. I’m not just doing it for myself.”

Mann did attend today’s hearing, prompting District Attorney Nicole Blumberg to point her out specifically. “She’s here today to show she’s not backing down,” Blumberg said. “The defendant may have power and privilege but she has the truth.”

The next hearing in Weinstein’s case is currently set for May 29.