Harvey Weinstein. Kena Betancur-Pool/Getty Images
Harvey Weinstein has been hospitalized for a “myriad of health conditions,” including COVID-19 and double pneumonia.
The disgrace movie mogul, 72, has been moved to the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward after contracting the illnesses, his representative Craig Rothfield told NBC News and ABC News on Thursday, July 25.
Weinstein was admitted to the hospital for “conditions that he is still afflicted with on a daily basis such as diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis, fluid on his heart and lungs, and various other conditions,” Rothfeld told the outlets. “In addition, Mr. Weinstein tested positive for COVID and contracted double pneumonia in his lungs.”
Weinstein’s health issues come after his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by the New York State Court of Appeals in April on the basis that the judge on the trial prejudiced Weinstein with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case. He was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of criminal sexual assault and rape.
“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the court’s decision stated, according to the Associated Press. “The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.”
The court’s majority claimed there was “an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant’s character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges lodged against them.”
Attorney Douglas H. Wigdor, who represented eight of Weinstein’s victims, released a statement to Us Weekly at the time.
“Today’s decision is a major step back in holding those accountable for acts of sexual violence,” he stated. “Courts routinely admit evidence of other uncharged acts where they assist juries in understanding issues concerning the intent, modus operandi or scheme of the defendant. The jury was instructed on the relevance of this testimony and overturning the verdict is tragic in that it will require the victims to endure yet another trial.”
Weinstein is currently awaiting retrial in Manhattan Criminal Court. During a July hearing, a judge shared that the jury selection will begin November 12.
“He is anxious to go to trial and prove his innocence,” Weinstein’s attorney Diana Fabi Samson told reporters after the hearing. “Physically, he is not well, and that has affected his mental state.”
Despite his rape conviction being overturned in New York, Weinstein has remained incarcerated because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 on other rape charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison. (He was acquitted in Los Angeles on charges involving one of the women who testified in New York.)
Weinstein was first accused of decades of sexual assault and harassment by multiple women in 2017. The disgruntled movie producer has vehemently denied all allegations.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
