DENIED

Judge Will Close Harvey Weinstein’s Pretrial Hearing to Public

News organizations have been fighting to keep it open.

A Manhattan federal judge has decided to close the courtroom for Harvey Weinstein's pretrial hearing, ruling against a slew of news organizations that have been fighting to keep it open. Judge James Burke ruled Friday after arguments from the prosecution and the defense, both of which wanted the courtroom closed due to the sensitivity of the hearing. The preliminary hearing will determine which of the women who were allegedly sexually harassed by the media mogul—but who are not listed in the rape and assault complaint—will be allowed to testify in his June trial. The prosecutors and defense teams have both argued that to avoid the trial becoming a media circus, and to protect the victims involved, the hearing must be closed to the public and press. The movie mogul is facing charges in New York that he raped one woman in a hotel room in 2013, and forcibly performed oral sex on another.

SOUNDS FAMILIAR

Weinstein ‘Tells Female Lawyers He’ll Boost Their Careers’

Tom Sykes