Benjamin Brafman will seek court permission to depart as Harvey Weinstein’s defense attorney, both Weinstein and Brafman said in a joint statement Thursday. The news was initially reported by TheWrap on Monday. The exit must be approved by Judge James Burke in New York.
“Both parties have agreed to part ways amicably and Mr. Brafman has agreed to cooperate fully with new counsel for Mr. Weinstein so as to ensure an orderly transition,” Weinstein and Brafman said in the joint statement. “Mr. Weinstein praised Mr. Brafman for his legal work to date and Mr. Brafman reiterated his belief that Mr. Weinstein would be exonerated of the charges that have been filed against him and Brafman personally wished Mr. Weinstein the best of luck as he defends the case and the accusations that Mr. Weinstein has vehemently denied.”
Weinstein added that he will announce his new legal team by early next week.
Weinstein faces five charges, including rape, in which the former Hollywood mogul is accused of sexually assaulting two women. Brafman was successful in getting one of six charges dismissed but had another request dismissed back in December.
A pre-trial hearing is set for March 7 with the trial set to begin on May 6.
In November, Weinstein via Brafman filed paperwork in New York Supreme Court saying that the entire prosecution had been tainted by police misconduct. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. dismissed a sixth criminal charge against Weinstein, in which Lucia Evans accused Weinstein of forcing her to perform oral sex on him in 2004.
At the time, Brafman had said the superseding indictment should be dismissed “because it was based on a defective Grand Jury proceeding, that was irreparably tainted by police misconduct, Lucia Evans’ false testimony and the District Attorney’s failure to provide the Grand Jury with exculpatory evidence of the long-term, consensual, intimate relationship between Mr. Weinstein and the alleged rape victim in counts three, four and five.”
Brafman has previously represented Michael Jackson, Martin Shkreli and Dinesh D’Souza.
Read the full statement via Weinstein and Brafman below:
Harvey Weinstein and his Criminal Defense Lawyer Benjamin Brafman have agreed to part ways and Mr. Weinstein has authorized Mr. Brafman to formally notify Judge Burke of his decision to withdraw as counsel for Mr. Weinstein in connection with all legal matters currently pending.
Both parties have agreed to part ways amicably and Mr. Brafman has agreed to cooperate fully with new counsel for Mr. Weinstein so as to ensure an orderly transition.
Mr. Weinstein praised Mr. Brafman for his legal work to date and Mr. Brafman reiterated his belief that Mr. Weinstein would be exonerated of the charges that have been filed against him and Brafman personally wished Mr. Weinstein the best of luck as he defends the case and the accusations that Mr. Weinstein has vehemently denied.
Mr. Weinstein intends to introduce his new legal team by early next week.
There will be no additional comments pertaining to this.