Harvey Weinstein learned yesterday that life as a defendant carries more restrictions than his former job as a Hollywood power broker, after a New York judge scolded him for repeatedly texting during court hearings, including at an arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to sexual-assault charges, Bloomberg News reported. New York Supreme Court Judge James M. Burke confronted Weinstein after a brief recess, after officers in the Manhattan courtroom saw the movie mogul using his phone during the hearing and in earlier proceedings. Weinstein was in court to face a revised indictment that prosecutors drafted to allow “The Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra to testify against him. He had been previously accused of sexually assaulting two other women, but prosecutors sought to have Sciorra testify at the trial that Weinstein sexually assaulted her. He faces charges that carry terms of up to life in prison. The trial had been set for Sept. 9, but Burke postponed it until Jan. 6 because of the revised indictment. Weinstein and his brother Bob started Miramax in 1979 and gained a reputation for creating edgy and critically acclaimed fare, including “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” “Clerks” and “Shakespeare in Love.” Walt Disney Co. acquired the company in 1993, and it changed hands multiple times since then. The brothers founded Weinstein Co. in 2005. That business went into bankruptcy after sexual-assault claims were brought against Harvey Weinstein.
