A Los Angeles judge has again rejected one of 11 sexual assault counts in an indictment of Harvey Weinstein.
Judge Lisa B Lench first dismissed the count of sexual battery by restraint as too old and outside the statute of limitations two weeks ago, but allowed the district attorney's office to amend the allegation against the 69-year-old former movie mogul and convicted rapist.
On Thursday (local time) she found that neither of two attempts at an amended complaint from prosecutors solved the problem, and rejected the count again.
Weinstein attended the hearing in LA County jail attire. He was brought into the courtroom shackled to a wheelchair, and was uncuffed as the proceedings began.
Lench gave prosecutors a glimmer of hope on the dismissed count, saying if they reconvene the grand jury and get it to return a new indictment for it, she may accept it. But she offered no specific instructions.