FILE – In this Oct. 11, 2018 file photo, Harvey Weinstein arrives to court in New York. A judge who ruled that an aspiring actress can use sex trafficking laws to sue Weinstein will hear lawyers argue whether his decision can be appealed before trial. U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet is scheduled to hear arguments Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019. Weinstein denies wrongdoing. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge who ruled that an aspiring actress can use sex trafficking laws to sue Harvey Weinstein will hear lawyers argue whether his decision can be appealed before trial.
U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet is scheduled to hear arguments Wednesday.
He’ll rule at a later date whether his August decision can be immediately taken to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sweet concluded that the proverbial casting couch, in which women are asked to trade sex for Hollywood opportunities, could be considered a “commercial sex act.”
Weinstein’s lawyers say nothing of value was exchanged between an actress and Weinstein in 2014 when they watched her demo reel in a Cannes, France, hotel room. The actress said Weinstein later molested her.
Weinstein denies wrongdoing.
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