NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein's lawyer says his sexual assault case has devolved into a mess of lying witnesses and hidden evidence and should be thrown out.
In a court filing Thursday, lawyer Benjamin Brafman said defense investigators had turned up evidence raising doubts about Weinstein's accusers.
He says the defense spoke to a friend of one accuser who said the alleged victim and Weinstein had been "hooking up" consensually for a long time.
Brafman says the friend felt pressured to corroborate the woman's rape allegation but "declined to make up a story."
Weinstein's side also believes that police set up a phone call between the film producer and one of his accusers shortly before his arrest, but that it failed to produce incriminating evidence.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment.
