Washington: Prosecutors at New York City rejected the plea of American producer Harvey Weinstein’ s trial to move from NYC because of Page Six.
The Oscar-winning producer’s trial is scheduled to begin next month on September 9 in Manhattan Supreme Court, but the movie mogul’s legal team had demanded a last-minute change of venue to either Albany or Suffolk County, reported Page Six.
The expert’s team claimed that there was no way he could get a fair trial in New York because of Page Six’s extensive coverage of his sex-assault charges — which include rape and predatory sexual assault.
Weinstein’s lawyers had complained that, “An Internet search of . . . Page Six, a mainstay of local New York City news, and the name Harvey Weinstein in 2019, yields over 11,000 hits.”
The irony of this move is not lost on Page Six writers, given that the producer himself gave his consent on getting his movies, stars and himself mentioned in the column over the years, particularly in pursuit of Oscars.
The decision did not appear as a surprise when the Manhattan DA’s office denied Weinstein’s request on Friday, calling it, “a transparent attempt to delay the proceedings,” according to papers filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court, reported by Page Six.
“From the beginning, the defendant’s lawyers have contributed to the media coverage they now complain about . . . portraying the defendant as a scapegoat who has been targeted by the ‘Me Too’ movement,” the excoriating court papers read.