Representatives have confirmed that former film producer Harvey Weinstein is in a ‘steady’ state after an emergency heart operation. The 72-year-old, who faces charges of rape and sexual assault in New York and is awaiting trial, was transferred on Sunday night from Rikers Island prison complex to Bellevue Hospital, according to his lawyers.
Weinstein had the urgent surgery on Monday due to complaints of chest discomfort. His spokesman, Juda Engelmayer, informed PA news agency that Weinstein’s condition has stabilised and that he is now recuperating. At present, it is hoped that he is free from critical condition.
Currently sentenced for a rape and sexual misconduct conviction in Los Angeles linked to non-consensual appearance in a woman’s hotel room during a 2013 film festival in the city, Weinstein is incarcerated at Rikers Island prison. In February 2023, his sentence fixed him to 16 years in prison.
Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction in Manhattan was overruled earlier this year in a predominant decision made by the Court of Appeal, New York, and consequently, he is serving time in Rikers Island jail while awaiting a retrial in Manhattan.
The former film producer has faced severe health issues, leading to several hospital admissions in recent years. Last July, he was hospitalised following diagnoses of Covid-19 and pneumonia in both lungs. Other health concerns he was addressing included high blood pressure, diabetes, spinal stenosis, and fluid accumulation in his heart and lungs, as indicated in a declaration by Mr Engelmayer to the Associated Press at the time.
Weinstein’s latest hospital stay follows the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the UK discontinuing its indecent assault case against him after a review of the evidence concluded there was no realistic prospect of a conviction. This was in connection to two criminal charges of alleged indecent assault against a woman, who is now in her 50s, in London, dating back to 1996.
Mr Engelmayer has previously stated his gratitude toward the decision and the reassurance of justice’s impartiality in some segments of the West. Mr Weinstein expressed his thanks to the individuals who worked tirelessly to reach this judgment and deeply regrets if his actions have caused anyone hardship. He holds on to the hope that other legal bodies will be able to differentiate between disappointment, sorrow, remorse, and actions deemed illegal or criminal. Weinstein vehemently believes he did not cross these borders.
Mr Weinstein refutes any accusations of rape or sexual assault. He became one of the pivotal figures embroiled in the #MeToo movement, which took hold in 2017 when women began speaking out about his supposed conduct. In 2020, Weinstein, once the producer of blockbuster films like Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, Gangs Of New York, and Shakespeare In Love, was deprived of his CBE, awarded for his involvement in the UK film industry.