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Harvey Weinstein’s Former Assistant Can Testify at L.A. Trial

Rowena Chiu can serve as a supporting witness, but Weinstein is not facing criminal charges for her allegations that he attempted to rape her in the 1990s.

One of Harvey Weinstein’s former assistants can testify in the former producer’s sex-crimes trial in Los Angeles, a judge ruled on Tuesday. Judge Lisa B. Lench decided that Rowena Chiu’s testimony as an uncharged witness would be more “probative” than “prejudicial” as the prosecution worked to establish a pattern of predatory behavior by Weinstein. Chiu has previously spoken out about her allegations against Weinstein, saying that he attempted to rape her when she was a Miramax assistant in 1998. After telling her colleague about the incident, Chiu said, the pair escalated the issue and were ultimately pressured into signing a DNA and receiving a monetary settlement.