HARVEY Weinstein has been rushed to the hospital with Covid-19 just days after the ailing former producer appeared in court in a wheelchair.
Weinstein’s attorneys are preparing for a pretrial hearing on sexual assault charges against the disgraced producer.
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Weinstein was recently in court after a judge set a new start date for his retrial months after his original conviction was overturned.
“Craig Rothfeld, Mr. Weinstein’s authorized representative and prison consultant, confirms that Mr. Weinstein has been brought back to the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward,” Weinstein’s lawyers told Deadline.
He is being treated for a “myriad of health conditions” including diabetes, high blood pressure, and fluid in his heart.
“In addition, Mr. Weinstein tested positive for COVID and contracted double pneumonia in his lungs,” the lawyers continue.
“We continue to express our gratitude to the officers, doctors, and nurses at DOCS, CHS, and NYC H+H who saw to it that Mr. Weinstein was immediately transferred to the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward and will continue working hand in hand with them to ensure Mr. Weinstein receives proper medical treatment.”
Earlier this month, Judge Curtis Farber set the start date for the rape retrial as November 12.
However, he said he was open to an earlier date depending on how quickly the prosecutors move through the grand jury.
Weinstein’s lawyers told Judge Farber that they would prefer an earlier start date.
“He [Weinstein] is anxious to go to trial and prove his innocence,” one of his attorneys told AP News after the hearing.
Weinstein, 72, looked completely unrecognizable as he was wheeled into the Manhattan courtroom.
He sat expressionless in his wheelchair as the judge set the retrial date.
CONVICTION OVERTURNED
On April 25, a New York Court of Appeals ruled that Weinstein didn’t receive a fair trial when he was convicted of two felony sex charges in January 2020.
The appeals court panel found that mistakes were made by Judge James Burke, who oversaw the original proceedings.
Burke allowed the testimony of witnesses who accused Weinstein of sexual assault, however, the accusations weren’t part of the charges he was facing, said the appeals court.
Actress Jessica Mann and film producer Miriam “Mimi” Haley are expected to testify during the retrial.
Both women threw allegations against Weinstein, which led to his initial criminal charges.
Weinstein has maintained his innocence.
Criminal defense attorney Keith B. Johnson told The U.S. Sun that the former movie mogul could attempt to use his health issues to influence the jury.
“Mr. Weinstein is not going to take a deal,” he said.
How Weinstein sparked the #MeToo movement
- In October 2017, The New York Times published a bombshell article where numerous actresses alleged abuse at the hands of Harvey Weinstein.
- Soon after, the actress Alyssa Milano asked women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed to share the words “Me Too” on social media.
- The request quickly became a movement – with actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lawrence, and Uma Thurman all sharing their harrowing stories.
- It was later revealed that “Me Too” was first used by activity Tarana Burke in 2006 to describe her sexual assault.
- The media firestorm led to many media executives losing their positions, alongside backlash over whether the accusations were being properly investigated.
- Weinstein remained at the center of it all and was one of the few who was hit with criminal charges.
- A top executive who produced films like Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, and The Lord of the Rings, activist felt he was the perfect representation of how power and influence could be used for evil.
“It’s going to be a trial, and I think that that’s the right move on his part too, because it can’t get any worse than what it already is.
“If you’ll get a more sympathetic jury, they may say, ‘Look at this old guy, he looks pitiful, he’s already done enough, maybe he did it, maybe he didn’t.'”
During a previous court hearing on May 29, Judge Farber said they were looking for a new criminal indictment against Weinstein.
Prosecutors say more women have come forward, accusing Weinstein of sexual assault.
“People who couldn’t speak out in 2020 are now willing to speak out in 2024,” said prosecutor Nicole Blumberg.
In December 2022, Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being convicted of rape and sexual assault.
“Harvey Weinstein was tried by a system devoted to ‘getting him’ at all costs,” Weinstein’s publicist Juda Engelmayer told NBC News after his appeal was filed.
“This appeal demonstrates nearly a dozen areas of brazen legal missteps that violated his right to a fair trial. We know he has a solid case here.”
Before his hospitalization, Weinstein was being housed in Rikers Island.
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Harvey Weinstein Trial Timeline
- October 2017: The New York Times reports the film mogul, whose Miramax film company won its first Oscar in 1997 for The English Patient, has reached legal settlements with eight women who accused him of sexual harassment spanning over 30 years. He is fired from his company, his wife leaves him, and the #Metoo movement is born.
- May 2018: Weinstein was arrested on charges of rape and a criminal sex act involving alleged assaults of two women.
- June 2018: He pleads not guilty to both charges and a third charge. One of them is eventually dropped.
- December 2019: Weinstein agrees to a $25 million settlement with a number of women who accused him of wrongdoing.
- February 2020: He is sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York for the charges brought against him in 2018.
- December 2020: A jury in Los Angeles convicts him of raping a model. He receives a 16-year prison term two months later, which runs alongside his New York sentence.
- April 2024: His New York conviction is overturned, and a new trial is ordered.