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Harvey Weinstein was scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on Thursday, September 12, in New York, where prosecutors had been presenting evidence to a grand jury to secure a new indictment against him on additional sex crime charges.
Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann, resulting in a 23-year prison sentence. In a surprising 4-3 decision this April, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s 2020 sexual assault conviction. The court ruled that the trial court had committed “egregious errors” by allowing women, other than those directly involved in the charges, to testify about separate allegations.
Weinstein was also convicted of rape in a separate trial in Los Angeles in 2022 and sentenced to an additional 16 years, to be served after his New York term. Initially held at New York’s Mohawk Correctional Facility, he has since been transferred to Rikers Island in the Bronx, where he awaits a new trial in November. Weinstein has denied all allegations against him.
Here’s everything to know about the latest developments with the disgraced ex-Hollywood mogul and the new charges he faces.
What Are the New Allegations and Charges Against Weinstein?
Weinstein has been indicted on additional sex crime charges ahead of his retrial in New York, Manhattan prosecutors announced at a hearing on Thursday. The indictment will remain under seal until Weinstein’s arraignment, which is scheduled for September 18, according to the Associated Press.
The previous hearing in the case was held on July 9, where Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg indicated that Weinstein could face new charges for ‘additional violent sexual assaults.’
‘We spoke to several individuals who claimed Weinstein raped them in Manhattan,’ Blumberg stated, adding that the incidents fall within the statute of limitations for prosecution.
‘As we said in 2020, there were women who were not ready to proceed with the legal process. Some of those women are now ready to proceed,’ Blumberg explained.
Weinstein was not present at Thursday’s hearing because he had not been medically cleared to attend following an emergency procedure on his heart and lungs earlier this week.
The retrial is set to begin on November 12.
Why Was Weinstein Rushed to the Hospital?
Weinstein underwent emergency heart surgery and remains in ‘critical condition,’ a source close to the producer told Deadline. ABC News first reported on Monday that Weinstein had been ‘rushed to Bellevue Hospital’ on Sunday night ‘due to several medical conditions,’ according to a statement from his representatives, Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer.
‘We can confirm that Mr. Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart [on Monday] but cannot comment further at this time,’ the statement continued. ‘As we have previously stated, Mr. Weinstein suffers from a plethora of significant health issues that require ongoing treatment. We are grateful to the executive team at the New York City Department of Correction and Rikers Island for acting swiftly in transferring him to Bellevue Hospital.’
Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told The New York Times that his 72-year-old client contacted Rothfeld multiple times over the weekend to report that he was feeling unwell. ‘This guy is going to die on your watch if you don’t do something,’ Aidala said he and Rothfeld wrote in an email to officials at Rikers and Bellevue before Weinstein’s transfer to the hospital.
Rothfeld later confirmed that Weinstein had surgery on Monday morning to ‘alleviate the massive amount of fluid on his lungs and heart’ and is currently recovering in the intensive care unit. After the operation, Weinstein reportedly called Rothfeld and expressed that he was ‘grateful to be alive.’
Weinstein was previously hospitalized in July for COVID-19 and pneumonia in both lungs.
