Prosecutors toss charge from accuser in Weinstein case

NEW YORK — Manhattan’s district attorney decides to drop part of the criminal case against Harvey Weinstein.

The development is announced in court Thursday with Weinstein looking on.

The tossed charge involves allegations made by one of the three accusers in the case, Lucia Evans, who was among the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein of sexual assault.

In an expose published in The New Yorker one year ago Wednesday, Evans accused Weinstein of forcing her to perform oral sex when they met alone in his office in 2004 to discuss her fledgling acting career. At the time, Evans was a 21-year-old college student.

Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon tells the judge that prosecutors wouldn’t oppose dismissal of the count in the case involving Evans. She insists the rest of the case, involving two other accusers, is strong.

In a statement, a lawyer for Evans says she was disappointed by the DA’s decision to “abandon” her.

“Let me be clear: the decision to throw away my client’s sexual assault charges says nothing about Weinstein’s guilt or innocence. Nor does it reflect on Lucia’s consistent allegation that she was sexually assaulted with force by Harvey Weinstein,” says attorney Carrie Goldberg. “It only speaks volumes about the Manhattan DA’s office and its mishandling of my client’s case.”

— AP