Harvey Weinstein hospitalized following 'alarming' blood test
The embattled movie mogul underwent surgery for emergency cardiac treatment in September.
Harvey Weinstein has been hospitalized for treatment after an "alarming" blood test result that required immediate medical attention, his lawyer revealed Monday.
The embattled movie mogul's attorney told Reuters that the 72-year-old is expected to remain in the hospital until his condition stabilizes.
Weinstein's lawyers have previously said he is beset with health problems, ranging from diabetes and high blood pressure to chronic myeloid leukemia (bone marrow cancer). In September, he was rushed to the hospital from New York City's Rikers Island jail to undergo heart surgery. Two months prior, Weinstein was hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward for a "myriad of health conditions," including testing positive for COVID-19 and contracting double pneumonia.
A jury found Weinstein sexually assaulted former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. They are among more than 80 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the New York case and to 16 years in prison for the separate California case. New York Court of Appeals judges threw out the former conviction in April. The Miramax studio co-founder will be retried in the case while at the same time facing a new sexual assault charge for allegedly assaulting an unnamed woman in 2006.
Harvey Weinstein threatens to sue for medical neglect while in jail
In a claim notice filed with the New York City Comptroller's Office last Tuesday, Weinstein's attorneys accused Rikers Island and Bellevue Hospital staff of failing to provide him with proper medical care while he's in jail.
The notice, filed by lawyer Imran H. Ansari, names the City of New York, the New York City Department of Correction, Rikers Island Correctional Facility and Bellevue Hospital among liable parties. Ansari requested $5 million in damages.
Ansari claimed correction officers and medical personnel failed to manage Weinstein's thyroid conditions as well as white blood cell counts, which led to "crashes and destabilization." He said Weinstein previously contracted pneumonia due to "being housed in freezing cold environments" and also COVID-19 due to "failure to provide a medically safe and sterile environment."
Additionally, Weinstein allegedly went "several months without any cancer medication," Ansari noted.
"While in the custody of Rikers Island Correctional Facility, (Weinstein's) medical conditions deteriorated significantly, unreasonably, and dangerously, leading to multiple instances where (Weinstein) feared for his life," Ansari's filing read. "Respondents were on notice of (Weinstein's) medical condition yet intentionally, recklessly, and/or negligently, failed to render proper medical treatment to (Weinstein)."
Jeanette Merrill, assistant vice president of communications & external affairs for NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services, said in a statement to Paste BN at the time that "NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services continues to work with the Department of Correction to ensure people in custody have access to high-quality health care on Rikers Island, including individuals who have complex medical and mental health needs."
In a statement shared with Paste BN, Ansari said Weinstein "has suffered considerably from the deplorable conditions on Rikers Island," adding that he discovered the former film producer with "blood spatter on his prison garb" and unwashed clothing during his last visit.
"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," Ansari said.
Contributing: Reuters; KiMi Robinson and Edward Segarra, Paste BN