He was once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood – but most recently Harvey Weinstein was awaiting his new trial in New York’s Rikers prison. Chest pains have now raised alarm there.
According to his spokesman, former film mogul Harvey Weinstein is doing better after an emergency heart operation. “He is resting after the operation. I don’t know how well he is doing yet, but he is doing better than before,” Juda Engelmayer told the German Press Agency.
On Monday night, the convicted sex offender was taken from New York’s notorious Rikers Island prison to a hospital in Manhattan due to an acute health emergency, where he underwent heart surgery. The 72-year-old is suffering from “a number of serious health problems that require ongoing treatment,” Engelmayer continued.
Allegations against Weinstein led to MeToo movement
Weinstein, once the all-powerful Hollywood figure, was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2020 for sexual offenses in a historic trial. The numerous assaults on women he was accused of had set the global MeToo movement in motion, in which women in particular drew attention to sexual assaults by men. As a result, numerous people around the world – including many celebrities – were severely burdened by such allegations.
At the end of April, however, an appeals court in New York surprisingly overturned the verdict due to procedural errors. The prosecution announced that it wanted to reopen the case. The start date has been provisionally set for November 12. Despite the overturned New York verdict, Weinstein remains in custody because he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2023 in another criminal case in Los Angeles that also involved sex crimes.
The first Weinstein trial is considered a milestone in legal history – not least because the jury based its verdict on the testimony of several women without there being any irrefutable evidence of the crimes. The ex-producer, on the other hand, had always denied any guilt and claimed that sexual acts had been consensual. Since 2017, more than 80 women had publicly accused Weinstein of using his power in Hollywood to commit sexual assault.
Countless suffering
Weinstein, who was once strong and loud, has been suffering from physical problems for years. In July, he was already in Bellevue Hospital for various health problems, including corona disease and pneumonia. According to his team, he also suffers from high blood pressure, a narrowing of the spinal canal, diabetes and fluid in his heart and lungs. Weinstein always appeared in court with a walker for his trial in 2020. This was viewed with suspicion at the time as a possible tactic to arouse pity.
Weinstein was very successful as a producer of films such as “Pulp Fiction” and “Gangs of New York,” and he also won an Oscar for “Shakespeare in Love.” However, his former glory is long gone since his unprecedented case. Despite the New York verdict being overturned, Weinstein is considered socially ostracized.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
