Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been hospitalized shortly after his 2020 rape conviction in New York was overturned, according to his lawyer.
Arthur Aidala stated that Weinstein was transferred to a Manhattan hospital on Friday. Despite his overturned conviction, Weinstein remains in custody due to a separate rape conviction in Los Angeles.
Aidala described Weinstein’s health as “somewhat of a train wreck,” indicating significant physical issues requiring attention. He elaborated to the Associated Press that Weinstein “needs a lot of help, physically” and is facing numerous health problems.
In a subsequent statement to CBS, Aidala explained that Weinstein was taken to the hospital after the New York City Department of Correction determined he needed immediate medical attention. Weinstein is reportedly undergoing a battery of tests and is being kept under observation.
A spokesperson for the corrections department confirmed that Weinstein is still in custody at Bellevue Hospital.
Weinstein was transferred from the Mohawk Correctional Facility to the Rikers Island jail complex on Friday. His lawyers have previously cited his health issues, including diabetes, sleep apnea, and heart and eye problems. In 2020, he spent five days in the hospital due to ongoing heart problems and chest pains.
Aidala mentioned that he is scheduled to meet Weinstein on Monday before his court appearance on Wednesday.
Earlier in the week, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s conviction, citing unfair trial proceedings. The court ruled that prosecutors in the #MeToo case had called witnesses whose accusations were not part of the charges against him, resulting in an unfair trial. Consequently, a new trial was ordered.
Weinstein’s 2020 conviction involved charges of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress, in 2013. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Weinstein is also serving a 16-year sentence in California for raping an Italian model and actress in a Beverly Hills hotel in 2013.