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Harvey Weinstein has been rushed to hospital for ‘emergent treatment’ just days after suing the city of New York.
The disgraced producer is currently seeking medical treatment at Bellevue, in Manhattan, after being transported from Rikers Island.
The 72-year-old, who is behind bars after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault, was previously diagnosed with cancer.
His attorney, Imran H Ansari, confirmed his hospitalization in a statement obtained by Deadline.
‘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 read.
‘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.’
His PR representative, Juda Engelmayer, also told the outlet: ‘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.’
This marks the third time the former Hollywood mogul has been admitted to Bellevue in the last few months – he was previously battling Covid and pneumonia in July, and then underwent heart surgery after ‘almost dying’ in September.
Last week, Weinstein filed a lawsuit seeking ‘no less than $5,000,000’ against New York City and others, calling out the conditions and services at Rikers Island.
In documents obtained by Deadline, his legal team confirmed that he was demanding ‘monetary damages arising from negligence, carelessness, recklessness, gross negligence, medical malpractice, intentional and/or reckless and/or negligent deprivation of medical treatment, deprivation of civil and constitutional rights, and negligent and intentional torts’ that he claimed have been ‘committed by officers, agents, and employees of the New York City Department of Correction’.
They also named New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation, Rikers Island Correctional Facility, and New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation/Bellevue.’
‘When I last visited him, I found him with blood spatter on his prison garb, possibly from IV’s, clothes that had not been washed for weeks, and he had not even been provided clean underwear – hardly sanitary conditions for someone with severe medical conditions and susceptibility to illness,’ Mr Ansari told the publication of the ‘deplorable conditions’.
‘I questioned whether I was in a prison facility that is supposed to be managed in accordance with our constitution, or a gulag where the prisoners are treated like animals.’
Weinstein has been at the center of rape or sexual misconduct allegations from more than 100 people, with some claims dating back to the 1970s.
He has denied all allegations against him, and was previously handed a 23-year prison sentence in 2020 – this was overturned earlier this year by the Court of Appeal in a shocking development.
A retrial was due to take place last month, but has been pushed back to next year.
The news came as the businessman was indicted for additional sex crime charges in New York in September, stemming from alleged incidents in 2005, 2006 and 2016.
Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said at the time: ‘We informed the defense just prior to being present in court this morning … the grand jury has indicted Mr Weinstein.’
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