Officials Dropped Old Harvey Weinstein Case Because The Woman Was Considered A Problematic Witness

LOOKING BACK

Updated Oct. 15, 2017 9:01PM EDT / Published Oct. 15, 2017 8:47PM EDT

Steve Crisp/Reuters

Prosecutors dropped an investigation into film producer Harvey Weinstein in 2015 because the 22-year old model accusing him of sexual assault was considered a problematic witness, the New York Times reported Sunday. Ambra Battilana reported to the police that Weinstein groped her during a business meeting and later talked to him about it while wearing a wire. Despite the recording, in which Battilana asked Weinstein why he touched her breasts, Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr. did not press charges. At the time Weinstein hired defense lawyers who gathered old court documents where Battilana had previously filed sexual assault complaints that she later dropped. Battilana reportedly gave prosecutors shifting accounts of her previous sexual assault complaints, causing them to fear she would be a problematic witness. Prosecutor's were also reportedly concerned that they could not prove Weinstein touched Battilana for sexual reasons because they were discussing Battilana's future as a lingerie model and whether she had had a breast augmentation.

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Officials Dropped Old Harvey Weinstein Case Because The Woman Was Considered A Problematic Witness

Steve Crisp/Reuters