Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for COVID and is in hospital with double pneumonia, his representatives have announced.
The disgraced music mogul, 72, is awaiting retrial for sexual assault charges in New York from the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward, as he is being treated for a ‘myriad of health conditions’.
In April Weinstein’s rape conviction – which saw him handed a 23-year prison sentence – was overturned sending shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry.
He was initially put behind bars in March 2020 after he was found guilty of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act, but in April it was determined that the judge in the trial had prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings.
However, Weinstein is still effectively serving a life sentence for his second rape and sexual assault conviction in Los Angeles, which will see him behind bars for 16 years.
Now, his representative Craig Rothfeld has told The Wrap the former producer is in hospital ‘so that he can be treated for the myriad of health conditions that he is still afflicted with on a daily basis, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis, fluid on his heart and lungs and various other conditions.’
Rothfeld added: ‘In addition, Mr Weinstein tested positive for COVID and contracted double pneumonia in his lungs.’
Days after the ruling was overturned in April, Weinstein was taken to hospital withWeinstein’s attorney Arthur Aidala describing his health as a ‘train wreck’.
On what the news of Weinstein’s retrial means, leading criminal defence lawyer Richard Cannon, partner at Stokoe Partnership Solicitors, explained to : ‘Weinstein will not be released as a result of this decision because he is also serving a sentence of 16 years imposed by a Court in California.’
On whether he will seek retrial for his Los Angeles ruling, Cannon noted that while it is not certain, groups like the Silence Breakers are likely to put pressure on.
‘The decision to seek a retrial will be down to the Manhattan District Attorney, there is likely to be a lot of pressure from victim groups to do so,’ he said.
‘Now he has won this appeal, it is possible he will seek to appeal the Californian 2023 conviction on the basis of the prejudicial effect the 2020 New York conviction had on those proceedings.’
Speaking after the ruling, Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer told Deadline: ‘We’re cautiously excited.
‘He still has a long road ahead of him because of the Los Angeles case.
‘We are studying the ramifications of the appeal right now.’
During a press conference, Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala also called the Court of Appeal’s ruling ‘a great day for America’.
‘It may sound like an exaggeration but it’s not, today’s legal ruling is a great day for America because it instils in us the faith that there is a justice system,’ he said.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office told the PA news agency: ‘We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault.’