Benjamin Brafman, defense lawyer of several celebrities, will leave the team around Harvey Weinstein. He withdraws from the case, Brafman told The New York Post, and the New York Times reports that Brafman will inform the court on Thursday, and that Weinstein has been charged with rape, among other things.
Brafman is one of the most famous lawyers in the USA. He defended the IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, which was accused, among other things pimping. Brafman reached an acquittal in 2015 for the politician. The 70-year-old lawyer has also represented rapper Jay-Z and music producer Sean "Diddy" Combs.
According to the New York Times, Brafman's decision has to do with Weinstein's plans to expand his defense team. Brafman's move may well be a setback for Weinstein: The defense attorney reached last October that the prosecutor dropped one of six counts on doubts about the credibility of a plaintiff. In December, however, he failed with a request to complete the prosecution of Weinstein completely.
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In May 2018, Weinstein was charged with rape and forced oral sex in New York. The indictment was extended in July 2018. Alleged victims are three women, it is allegations from the years 2004, 2006 and 2013.
Dozens of women accuse the former film producer of sexual assault. The charges range from harassment to rape. Among the alleged victims are movie stars like Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd.
The 66-year-old Weinstein rejects the allegations and says that the sexual contacts with the women were always consensual. The case sparked a worldwide campaign against sexual harassment. Under the hashtag #MeToo numerous women made their experiences public.