Thread by @Variety

Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein has won a partial victory in court in Los Angeles, persuading a judge to dismiss one of the 11 sexual assault charges against him. bit.ly/3BMZpZA

Weinstein’s attorneys cheered the ruling as a significant win, noting that one of the five accusers has been dismissed from the case. “Count 5 is dead,” defense attorney Mark Werksman declared outside court. “We’re off to a good start.” bit.ly/3BMZpZA

Judge Lisa B. Lench agreed to throw out the charge on statute of limitations grounds, but allowed prosecutors the opportunity to amend the indictment and refile it. bit.ly/3BMZpZA

The dismissed count pertains to an incident at a Beverly Hills hotel on May 11, 2010. Prosecutors first filed the charge in April 2020, just within the 10-year deadline under the statute. bit.ly/3BMZpZA

The defense argued that when Weinstein was indicted on the same charge this year, that created a new case, with a new case number, and that therefore the statute had expired. bit.ly/3BMZpZA

Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson argued in court that the indictment was not a new case, and that it merely superseded the original complaint. bit.ly/3BMZpZA

Thompson told the court that prosecutors would amend the indictment and refile it later on Thursday. Weinstein would then have to be arraigned again, after pleading not guilty on the original indictment last week. bit.ly/3BMZpZA

Lench sided with the prosecution on two other counts, which date from 2004-05. Defense attorney Alan Jackson argued that those counts should also be thrown out because of the statute of limitations. Lench disagreed. bit.ly/3BMZpZA

Read the latest developments on the convicted rapist's Los Angeles court case variety.com/2021/film/news…