USA Spokesman: Weinstein is "better than before" after emergency surgery
Following emergency heart surgery, former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is doing better, according to his spokesman. "He is resting after the surgery. I don't know how well he's doing yet, but he's doing better than before," Juda Engelmayer told Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
10.09.2024, 07:14
SDA
On Monday night, the convicted sex offender was taken from New York's notorious Rikers Island prison to a hospital in Manhattan for heart surgery due to an acute health emergency. The 72-year-old is suffering from "a variety of serious health problems that require ongoing treatment", Engelmayer continued.
Allegations against Weinstein led to the MeToo movement
The once all-powerful Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual offenses in a historic trial in 2020. The numerous allegations of assaults on women of which he was accused were instrumental in launching the global MeToo movement, in which women in particular drew attention to sexual assaults by men. As a result, numerous people around the world - including many celebrities - were severely incriminated by such allegations.
At the end of April, however, an appeals court in New York surprisingly overturned the verdict due to procedural errors. The public prosecutor's office announced its intention to reopen the trial. The start date has been provisionally set for November 12. Despite the overturned New York verdict, Weinstein remains in prison because he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in another criminal trial in Los Angeles in 2023, which also involved sex crimes.
The first Weinstein trial is considered a milestone in legal history - partly because the jury based its verdict on the testimony of several women without any incontrovertible evidence of the crimes. The ex-producer, on the other hand, had always denied any guilt and claimed that sexual acts had been consensual. Since 2017, more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of exploiting his power in Hollywood for sexual assault.
Countless woes
The once strong and loud Weinstein has been plagued by physical problems for years. Back in July, he was hospitalized in Bellevue for various health problems, including coronavirus and pneumonia. According to his team, he also suffers from high blood pressure, a narrowing of the spinal canal, diabetes and fluid in his heart and lungs. Weinstein always appeared in court for his 2020 trial with a walker. At the time, this was viewed with suspicion as a possible tactic to arouse sympathy.
Weinstein was very successful as a producer of films such as "Pulp Fiction" and "Gangs of New York", and also won an Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love". Since his unprecedented fall, however, his former glory has long been history. Despite the New York verdict being overturned, Weinstein is still considered a social outcast.
