A New York judge has denied Harvey Weinstein’s bid to throw out the most serious charges in his sexual assault case.

The former high-powered Hollywood producer is accused of raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006.

Prosecutors have indicated they intend to call actress Annabella Sciorra, who has appeared in the TV series The Sopranos and movies such as Jungle Fever, to testify that Weinstein raped her in 1993.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyers recently objected to two of the counts – predatory sexual assault.

His trial is scheduled for January 6, 2020. If convicted, Mr Weinstein could face a life sentence.

Other rulings made public on Wednesday also went against the movie mogul.

Judge James Burke rejected Weinstein’s claim that emails obtained from his movie studio were private.

The judge also denied Weinstein access to the personnel file of a police detective whose alleged witness coaching led prosecutors to drop a charge last year.

Weinstein’s spokesman said his lawyers did not have an immediate comment.

– with AAP