Harvey Weinstein in April 2017. Image by Getty

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A New York state judge on Thursday denied Harvey Weinstein’s motion to dismiss criminal charges that he sexually assaulted two women, rejecting the movie producer’s argument that the case was tainted by police and prosecutorial misconduct.

Supreme Court Justice James Burke in Manhattan announced his decision at a hearing in a packed courtroom. Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Weinstein, told reporters outside the courthouse he was disappointed in the decision but was confident his client would prevail at trial.

In a written decision released after the hearing, Burke said there was “no basis for the defendant’s claim of prosecutorial or law enforcement misconduct in the proceedings.” The ruling came about two months after Weinstein won dismissal of a charge involving a third woman after prosecutors revealed that a New York City police detective had withheld information during the investigation.

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Weinstein has denied having nonconsensual sex with anyone following accusations by more than 70 women, mostly young actresses and other women employed in the movie business, of sexual misconduct, including rape, going back decades.

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