Harvey Weinstein hospitalised after rape conviction overturned: ‘needs a lot of help’
- The former film mogul’s lawyer says his client is a ‘train wreck health wise’ and is undergoing a battery of tests
- A New York court has erased Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence, but he remained in custody because of another rape conviction in Los Angeles
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said on Saturday that the one-time film mogul was hospitalised for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeal court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Lawyer Arthur Aidala said Weinstein was moved to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after his arrival on Friday to city jails.
“They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically. He’s got a lot of problems. He’s getting all kinds of tests. He’s somewhat of a train wreck health wise,” Aidala said.
A message left with the hospital was not immediately returned Saturday. Messages seeking comment were also left with city and state corrections offices.
On Thursday, the New York Court of Appeals vacated his conviction after concluding that a trial judge permitted jurors to see and hear too much evidence not directly related to the charges he faced. It also erased his 23-year prison sentence and ordered a retrial.
Prosecutors said they intended to retry him on charges that he forcibly performed oral sex on a television and film production assistant in 2006 and raped an aspiring actor in 2013.
Weinstein remained in custody after the appeals ruling because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
For some time, Weinstein has been ailing with a variety of afflictions, including cardiac issues, diabetes, sleep apnoea and eye problems.
Aidala said he spoke to Weinstein on Friday afternoon after he was in transit to New York City from an upstate jail less than 24 hours after the appeal ruling, which was released on Thursday morning.
US court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from #MeToo trial
He said his client’s ailments were physical, adding that mentally he was “sharp as a tack. Feet are firmly planted on the ground”.
The lawyer said it usually took state corrections and prison officials a week or two to arrange to transport a prisoner.
“He was not treated well. They refused to give him even a sip of water, no food, no bathroom break,” Aidala said. “He’s a 72-year-old sickly man.”
Aidala said he was told that Bellevue doctors planned to run a lot of tests on Weinstein before he could be returned to the Rikers Island jail complex.
The lawyer said he was scheduled to meet with Weinstein on Monday. He added that he planned to tell a judge during Weinstein’s court appearance on Wednesday in Manhattan that a retrial should occur after Labour Day.
