A judge in New York approved the extradition to California of convicted sex offender and former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
In Los Angeles, he will face new charges for sexual assault against five women.
Weinstein, 69, was sentenced to 23 years in prison in February 2020 in New York for a third-degree rape.
He is currently serving his sentence at Wende Maximum Security Prison, near Buffalo, New York.
In California, he is charged with 11 counts of sexual assault against five women, which he allegedly committed between 2004 and 2013 in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.
The charges include forced oral copulation, sexual assault by restraint and sexual penetration with the use of force
.
Harvey Weinstein during a hearing from Wende prison, New York, in an image taken from a court video on June 15, 2021.
"We are disappointed in today's decision," Weinstein's defense attorney Mark Werksman said in a statement.
“Right now, Weinstein's attorney filed an injunction in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
We are asking the court to stop the extradition to Los Angeles of Mr. Weinstein until he receives the medical treatment he needs in New York, "added the lawyer.
The injunction argues that Weinstein's rights would not be respected if he is extradited to another state, in part due to
a degenerative eye disease medical condition
that requires months of medical attention.
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Attorney Elizabeth Fegan, who represents one of the four victims in the Los Angeles case, called the court's decision "excellent news."
“He has used every possible excuse to delay the process.
Time is over!
He will have to answer for his egregious sexual abuse, ”Fegan said.
Louise Godbold, one of many women who have accused Weinstein of sexual assault, said in a statement that she is
"happy that five more women have the opportunity to face their assailant in court
.
"
[Harvey Weinstein isolated in prison for COVID-19 symptoms]
"Unfortunately, the statute of limitations means that at least a hundred more can just watch," he added, referring to the legal principle that prohibits prosecuting alleged crimes that have already prescribed.
John Flynn, a district attorney for Erie County in New York, said the next steps in Weinstein's case would be determined by officials in California.
Getty Images
"It is up to Los Angeles County prosecutors to extradite Mr. Weinstein to California
," Flynn explained in a statement.
"The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office indicated to our prosecutors that they would extradite Mr. Weinstein between late June and mid-July," he said.
The California authorities have a period of 120 days after Weinstein's arrival in Los Angeles to carry out the trial against him.
However, the exact date on which he will be extradited is not yet known.
With information from NBC News and The Associated Press.