A New York state judge on Thursday denied Harvey Weinstein's motion to dismiss criminal charges that he sexually assaulted two women, rejecting the movie producer's argument that the case was tainted by police and prosecutorial misconduct.

Supreme Court Justice James Burke in Manhattan announced his decision at a hearing in a packed courtroom. Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Weinstein, told reporters outside the courthouse he was disappointed in the decision but was confident his client would prevail at trial.

Burke scheduled a pretrial hearing in the case on March 7.