NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein’s legal professionals requested a pass judgement on on Wednesday to permit the in poor health ex-studio boss to spend his nights at a New York Town health center as a substitute of prison all through his #MeToo rape retrial.
Weinstein’s legal professionals made the request as jury variety resumed for a 2nd day. The 73-year-old disgraced film wealthy person arrived in courtroom in a wheelchair, as he has in any respect of his contemporary courtroom appearances.
In courtroom papers, his legal professionals argued that Weinstein’s keep at New York Town’s infamous Rikers Island prison complicated is exacerbating his well being problems and that he’d be within the jail ward at Bellevue Clinic. He been backward and forward to Bellevue a number of instances in contemporary months for remedy of quite a lot of maladies.
Weinstein has a lot of well being stipulations, together with power myeloid leukemia, middle problems, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, sciatica and serious barriers on his talent to stroll. A contemporary tongue an infection was once misdiagnosed at Rikers, requiring hospitalization, and he has won just about 20 kilos (9 kilograms) prior to now month, his legal professional Imran Ansari mentioned.
In a observation, Ansari mentioned Weinstein may be subjected to freezing temperatures at Rikers and is not supplied with blank clothes.
“On account of this mistreatment, he has been worn down significantly well being sensible, and now faces the tension of trial on this situation, which might really well result in critical well being headaches, even dying,” Ansari mentioned.
Weinstein’s legal professionals filed a prison declare towards New York Town ultimate November, alleging he was once receiving substandard scientific remedy in unhygienic stipulations at Rikers. The declare, which seeks $5 million in damages, argues that Weinstein has been returned to Rikers each and every time earlier than totally getting better on the health center.
The bothered prison complicated has confronted rising scrutiny for its mistreatment of detainees and perilous stipulations. Final 12 months, a federal pass judgement on cleared the best way for a conceivable federal takeover, discovering town had positioned inmates in “unconstitutional risk.”
Pass judgement on Curtis Farber has but to rule at the switch request, and the problem wasn’t mentioned in courtroom earlier than jury variety resumed on Wednesday morning.
The primary day ended on Tuesday with no person selected for the panel of 12 jurors and 6 alternates. Wednesday kicked off with two dozen potential jurors being dropped at the court for extra wondering after making it via an preliminary spherical an afternoon previous.
Weinstein is being attempted once more after New York’s best possible courtroom, the Courtroom of Appeals, ultimate 12 months overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year jail sentence and ordered a brand new trial, discovering that fallacious rulings and prejudicial testimony tainted the unique one.
Weinstein is being retried on two fees from his unique trial. He’s accused of raping an aspiring actor in a New york lodge room in 2013 and a prison intercourse act by way of forcing oral intercourse on a film and TV manufacturing assistant in 2006.
He’s additionally charged with one depend of prison intercourse act in line with an allegation from a girl who was once no longer part of the unique trial. That girl, who has requested to not be named publicly, alleges that Weinstein compelled oral intercourse on her at a New york lodge.
Weinstein has pleaded no longer accountable and denies raping or sexually assaulting any person.
