Harvey Weinstein diagnosed with bone marrow cancer amid legal battles
Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, a rare form of bone marrow cancer.
The diagnosis comes just weeks after facing a new criminal indictment and a series of additional health-related challenges, including a recent heart surgery and hospitalisation earlier in the year after testing positive for Covid-19 and double pneumonia.
The 72-year-old is being treated following the diagnosis in prison at Rikers Island in New York, per NBC News. A statement from the filmmaker’s legal health representative, Craig Rothfeld, said: “Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein’s privacy, we will offer no further comment.”
The surgery was performed to remove a significant amount of fluid around his heart and lungs, after which his representative confirmed he was “out of danger at the moment.” However, his spokesperson also said that it had become “troubling” that the health of the once-Hollywood mogul had become “a subject of public discourse.”
The allegations against Harvey Weinstein
Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year sentence on rape charges after being convicted in New York in 2020. At the time, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison, but a New York appeals court overturned the verdict earlier this year after the judge ruled testimony in error from accusers who weren’t involved with the charges of the case.
A retrial has been scheduled for November, but prosecutors remain sceptical and have deemed it “unrealistic.” Weinstein briefly appeared in court in September and pled not guilty to his new charges, which an accuser alleges an incident occurred in a hotel room in 2006 with the producer.
Despite the verdict being overturned, Weinstein has remained imprisoned as a result of a separate trial in Los Angeles, during which he was found guilty of rape and sexual assault, and sentenced to 16 years behind bars.
Allegations against Weinstein sparked the #MeToo movement in 2017, with many more industry figures coming forward to talk about their experiences with sexual abuse and misconduct. More than 80 women accused Weinstein of sexual assault, harassment, or rape, with the most prominent names including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and more.
Furthermore, last month, another charge against Weinstein in the United Kingdom was dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service ruled that “there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction” stemming from the inciting incident, said to have allegedly happened in 1996.
Weinstein maintains he is not guilty of any misconduct and claims any sexual encounters between him and the accusers were consensual.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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