Harvey Weinstein hospitalized due to 'alarming' blood test results
Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was hospitalized on Monday after an "alarming blood test." The 72-year-old was moved to Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital for "emergent treatment due to an alarming blood test result that requires immediate medical attention," his attorney Imran Ansari said. The development comes less than a week after Weinstein filed a legal claim alleging substandard medical care at New York City's jail complex.
Weinstein's health condition and legal battle
Weinstein is likely to remain at Bellevue Hospital until his condition stabilizes, according to Ansari. The attorney also stressed that Weinstein's deprivation of care amounts not just to medical malpractice but also to a violation of his constitutional rights. A spokesperson for New York City's Department of Correction is yet to respond to the allegations. Meanwhile, the agency's inmate database confirmed Weinstein's transfer from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward in Manhattan.
Weinstein's rape conviction retrial and health concerns
Weinstein has remained in city custody since earlier this year after the New York Court of Appeals overturned his 2020 rape conviction. The case will be retried in 2025, with Weinstein maintaining his innocence. Last week, his legal team accused the city of providing him with substandard medical care for chronic myeloid leukemia and diabetes, among other health issues.
Attorney and publicist criticized Weinstein's prison conditions
Ansari, during a recent visit to Weinstein, discovered him in unsanitary conditions with blood spatter on his prison garb, possibly from IVs. He also observed that Weinstein's clothes hadn't been washed for weeks and he hadn't been given clean underwear. These conditions were described as "hardly sanitary" for someone with severe medical conditions like Weinstein. The attorney compared Rikers Island to a "gulag" for its mistreatment of detainees and dangerous conditions.
'Cruel and unusual punishment': Weinstein's publicist
Weinstein's publicist, Juda Engelmayer, also slammed the treatment meted out to his client. He said, "Mr. Weinstein, who is suffering from a number of illnesses, including leukemia, has been deprived the medical attention that someone in his medical state deserves." "In many ways, this mistreatment constitutes cruel and unusual punishment," he added. Last week, a federal judge cleared the way for a possible federal takeover of the Rikers Island jail system for its mistreatment of detainees.
