Harvey Weinstein Transferred to Hospital After ‘Alarming’ Blood Test
Harvey Weinstein has been transported back to Bellevue Hospital, after receiving an “alarming” blood test result, his attorney said Monday.
Weinstein, 72, has been held at Rikers Island while he awaits a retrial on rape charges next year in New York. He has been diagnosed with leukemia, diabetes, and a host of other medical conditions, including coronary artery disease and sleep apnea.
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Last week, his attorneys filed a $5 million claim against New York City, alleging that he has faced deplorable and inhumane conditions at Rikers Island, causing his health to worsen dramatically to the point where he feared for his life.
In a statement Monday, attorney Imran Ansari said that Weinstein requires “emergent treatment,” and is expected to remain at Bellevue until his condition stabilizes.
“His deprivation of care is not only medical malpractice, but a violation of his constitutional rights,” Ansari said.
A federal judge last week threatened to appoint a receiver to take control of Rikers Island, finding an “extraordinarily high” level of violence in the facility despite years of operation under a consent decree. The judge, Laura Taylor Swain, cited numerous fights, stabbings, and assaults on guards, as well as poor training and supervision of jail staff.
Ansari previously compared the facility to a “gulag where the prisoners are treated like animals.” He said that on his last visit there, he found that Weinstein’s clothes had not been washed in weeks and were spattered in blood, possibly from an IV. He alleged that Weinstein was not receiving certain medications and had been deprived access to competent medical care.
Earlier this year, Weinstein was at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in Rome, N.Y., where he was serving a 23-year sentence on rape and sexual assault charges. In April, the state’s highest court overturned his guilty verdict in a 4-3 decision.
Weinstein was then sent back to New York City to await a retrial. He has been transferred between Rikers and Bellevue numerous times. His attorneys allege that Bellevue has discharged him prematurely, only for his condition to worsen at Rikers and require readmission to Bellevue.
The former Hollywood producer is next due in court on Jan. 29.
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