Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein is
seeking the dismissal of rape and sexual assault charges, according
to documents filed Friday with the New York court overseeing his
case.
Weinstein's lawyer filed nearly 160 pages of documents that he claims
show the case against Weinstein is "flawed." He also claims the
prosecutor withheld important emails from the grand jury before it
indicted the 66-year-old earlier this year.
The documents quote about 40 emails from one of his accusers, a woman
who says Weinstein raped her in a hotel room in 2013. In one of the
emails the woman tells Weinstein she loves him, "but I hate feeling
like a one-night stand."
The emails, sent after the alleged rape, suggest an intimate
relationship with Weinstein that was consensual, according to the
documents.
The lawyer had previously said that the woman had a consensual
relationship with Weinstein for more than 10 years. The documents
also assert that there was under enormous public and media pressure
to indict Weinstein.
Weinstein is free on a 1-million-dollar bail while he fights the six
rape and sexual assault charges. The emails are from his account at
Weinstein Company. The company announced when it filed for bankruptcy
protection in March that it was terminating all non-disclosure
agreements.
Dozens of women have gone public with accusations against Weinstein.
Their stories touched off a cascade of accusations against other
powerful men and led to the spread of the MeToo movement.
Weinstein faces life in prison if convicted. The next hearing in the
case is expected in September.