Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles court to four counts of rape and seven of sexual assault.
The 69-year-old convicted rapist arrived in court in a wheelchair. He was dressed in a brown jail uniform and a face mask. Attorney Mark Werksman entered the plea a day after Weinstein was extradited to California from New York, where he is serving a 23-year sentence.
He maintains his innocence and claims any sexual intercourse was consensual.
Between 2004 and 2013, the incidents are said to have occurred in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles hotels. The charges include forceful rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by constraint and sexual penetration by force.
Weinstein faces a potential sentence of 140 years if convicted.
The Hollywood producer spoke only to say "thank you" to Judge Sergio Tapia when she wished him "good luck."
His lawyer said that the charges were false.
"They are baseless, they are from long, long ago, they are uncorroborated," Werksman said after the hearing.
Weinstein is appealing his conviction in New York from last year. More than 80 women have accused him of sexual misconduct, with some allegations dating back decades.
Allegations made public in 2017 aided the growth of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged others to share their experiences with sexual harassment and assault.
However, only a small number of the allegations have resulted in criminal charges.
The women's identities were not revealed in the indictment. Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents two of them, said that the age of the incidents had no bearing on their validity.
"Allegations of sexual assault and rape do take a long time to report, so the idea that they may not have disclosed to a law enforcement officer for many years does not mean that those are not credible," Allred said.
The pandemic and procedural delays meant Weinstein's extradition to California took well over a year.
