Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who was convicted of rape in 2020 but had his conviction overturned recently, has been taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for medical tests. His lawyer, Authur Aidala, mentioned that Weinstein, aged 72, has health issues and needs a lot of medical attention. Weinstein, who is still serving a sentence in Los Angeles for a separate rape conviction, was moved from Mohawk Correctional Facility to Rikers Island jail complex last Friday.
Weinstein’s health has been a concern for a while now, with reports of cardiac problems, diabetes, sleep apnea, and eye issues. He had been hospitalized in 2020 for heart and chest pains. Weinstein’s legal troubles started in 2017 when numerous women accused him of sexual misconduct, sparking the “MeToo movement”. In 2020, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a former production assistant and raping an aspiring actress, resulting in a 23-year prison sentence.
However, the recent decision by the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s conviction due to procedural errors in his trial, ordering a new trial. This decision doesn’t affect his separate conviction in California, where he received a 16-year sentence for assaulting another woman. Despite the overturned conviction, prosecutors plan to retry Weinstein on the same charges.
Weinstein has consistently maintained that any sexual activity was consensual. His lawyer hailed the recent ruling as a victory for all criminal defendants in New York and stated Weinstein’s readiness to testify in his defense. However, dissenting justices expressed concern about the impact on women’s safety and justice.
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