Harvey Weinstein in intensive care in hospital after emergency heart surgery
Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been struggling with health issues in addition to his legal troubles, with the fallen producer currently recovering from emergency heart surgery.
The former Miramax head was transported from Rikers Island prison – where he’s currently serving a sentence on rape charges – to New York’s Bellevue Hospital after experiencing chest pains, the latest in an increasing amount of health-related problems he’s faced in recent years.
After initially being sentenced to 23 years in prison, Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for the aforementioned charges in New York was overturned after it was determined the judge presiding over the trial had given improper rulings, which included testimony made by women who weren’t part of the allegations being tried.
However, he remains behind bars due to the 16-year sentence imposed following a separate conviction issued in California in 2022, with those New York charges currently awaiting a retrial tied to the previous charges that were dismissed.
It was only recently that an indecent assault charge against Weinstein in the United Kingdom was dropped, but further allegations have emerged from the other side of the Atlantic to ensure the former studio executive and industry power player continues to face the consequences of his harrowing actions.
Weinstein’s lawyers issued a statement confirming he’d “rushed to Bellevue Hospital last night due to several medical conditions,” reiterating that his health is in dire straits. “We can confirm that Mr Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today. However, we cannot comment further than that,” it read. “As we have extensively stated before, Mr Weinstein suffers a plethora of significant health issues that need ongoing treatment.”
Earlier this year, Weinstein spent 10 days in the same hospital for assorted health problems and was readmitted for a second time after testing positive for Covid and contracting pneumonia in both of his lungs.
The procedure saw him undergo pericardiocentesis surgery to “alleviate a significant amount of fluid from his lungs and heart,” according to representative Craig Rothfeld, but his team have stopped short of offering further clarification on his current status other than the fact it’s the latest in a long line of medical issues to have plagued Weinstein since his imprisonment, but his retrial in New York remains scheduled for November 12.
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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