Harvey Weinstein has been taken back to Bellevue Hospital for “emergent treatment” related to an “alarming blood test result,” his spokesperson and attorney said Monday.
“Harvey Weinstein, who has been suffering from a lack of adequate medical care and enduring deplorable and inhumane conditions on Rikers Island, has been transported to Bellevue Hospital for emergent treatment due to an alarming blood test result that requires immediate medical attention. It is expected that he will remain there until his condition stabilizes. His deprivation of care is not only medical malpractice, but a violation of his constitutional rights,” said attorney Imran H. Ansari.
His spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, also confirmed that Weinstein had been diagnosed with leukemia, after prior news reports.
“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, prisoner or not. In many ways, this mistreatment constitutes cruel and unusual punishment,” Engelmayer said.
Weinstein’s team previously declined to comment on the rumors, instead saying after a recent court appearance: “We’re not going to get into any specifics, except to say that Mr. Weinstein is a fighter, and he’s here to fight this case and he’s going fight with every once of strength in his body.”
Weinstein has been held at Rikers Island as he’s awaiting trial on three alleged sex crimes. The former mogul was charged in September on one count of a criminal sexual act in the first degree, which stems from a recent indictment returned by a grand jury. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
Weinstein also faces a retrial on charges related to his 2020 rape conviction in New York, which was overturned in April. In total, Weinstein had been charged under two indictments for three sex crimes. An exact trial date has not yet been set, but prosecutors have suggested April 1.
Weinstein was also hospitalized in early September, when he underwent emergency heart surgery, but has appeared at subsequent court hearings.
Weinstein’s team had been pushing for the entertainment mogul to be held full time at Bellevue Hospital. Arthur Aidala, an attorney for Weinstein, has repeatedly said his client was in poor health, citing a letter from Weinstein’s doctor in July stating that he was suffering from fluid in his heart and in his lungs, spinal stenosis, macular degeneration and high blood sugar related to his diabetes and the high-carbohydrate food being served at Rikers Island.
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