Harvey Weinstein In “Critical Condition” After Emergency Heart Surgery
EXCLUSIVE: Harvey Weinstein’s condition is deteriorating quickly despite undergoing heart surgery earlier today.
Scheduled to be back in a Manhattan court this week in the lead up to a second trial on sexual assault and other sex crimes, the much accused and incarcerated producer was rushed from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital last night after experiencing pains in his chest. Earlier today, 72-year Weinstein was under the knife.
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However, the already health addled Weinstein is in “very rough shape,” I hear. “Critical condition,” another individual close to events told Deadline of the ex-mogul’s status.
With numerous cases of Covid and other medical issues over the six years since Weinstein’s arrest on rape charges, the Pulp Fiction EP has been close to death before and come out the other side. Weinstein’s representatives confirmed his operation Monday, but offered no other comment on the aftermath.
“According to Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer, Mr. Weinstein’s authorized representatives, Mr. Weinstein was rushed to Bellevue Hospital last night due to several medical conditions,” says Weinstein longtime spokesman Engelmayer Monday afternoon.
“We can confirm that Mr. Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today however cannot comment any further than that,” Engelmayer added. “As we have extensively stated before, Mr. Weinstein suffers a plethora of significant health issues that need ongoing treatment. We are grateful to the executive team at the New York City Department of Correction and Rikers Island for acting swiftly in taking him to Bellevue Hospital.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office did not respond to request from Deadline on the latest turn in Weinstein’s health, which has often conveniently taken a downturn as court hearings loom. Weinstein and his defense team were supposed to be in a 100 Centre Street courtroom on September 12, in front of Justice Curtis Faber.
Still on the calendar, that hearing is almost certain to not be occurring, regardless of if Weinstein’s condition improves or not.
Charged and arrested for rape in May 2018 after revelations by the New York Times in late 2017 detailing decades of abuse and alleged assaults by Weinstein, the defendant was convicted in February 2020 on first-degree sexual assault and third-degree rape after allegations by two women, Mimi Haley and Jessica Mann.
Parked at Rikers because of his 2022 conviction in Los Angeles on sex crimes and sentencing to 16 years behind bars, Weinstein saw his 2020 verdicts and 23-year sentence tossed out by a divided Empire State Appeals Court in April. Based on that move, Weinstein’s lawyers formally appealed his LA conviction in June. Last month a Manhattan judge back in July set a tentative November 12 start date for Weinstein’s the East Coat rape retrial.
Sean Piccoli contributed to this post
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