Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is back in the hospital and gearing up to sue New York’s public health system as he faces a new sex crimes trial.
Weinstein, 72, was reportedly diagnosed last month with chronic myeloid leukemia, a rare form of bone marrow cancer, and has been receiving treatment at Rikers Island. He was admitted to Bellevue Hospital on Friday, though his representatives declined to say why, the New York Post reported.
The spokesperson did say, however, that treating Weinstein in prison—which appears to be the norm for incarcerated cancer patients—instead of admitting him to the hospital indefinitely amounts to “ongoing medical negligence.”
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“Refusing to keep him at Bellevue during his trial is a severe oversight, jeopardizing his ability to attend to his own retrial,” a representative told the Post. “Mr. Weinstein has hired legal counsel to sue NYC Health and Hospitals and Bellevue, as he has the right to proper care while in custody.”
NYC Health + Hospitals operates the city’s public health facilities, including overseeing health care for prison inmates.
The former movie mogul was convicted of rape in New York and California, though he’s awaiting a new trial in the New York case after an appeals court overturned the conviction in a stunning 4-3 decision in April. He’s also facing new criminal charges brought in September.
Since his legal proceedings began in 2018, Weinstein has been plagued by health problems. He attended his previous trials in a wheelchair, and in September, he underwent emergency surgery to remove fluid from his heart and lungs. In July, he was treated for COVID-19 and double pneumonia.
His representatives told the Post his medical treatment “suggests a broader agenda for a more sinister outcome through lawfare and inadequate healthcare.” In other words, a high-level conspiracy to sabotage the upcoming trials, which are slated to begin in 2025.
But Weinstein might just be facing the ugly truth about prison health care. Cancer is the leading cause of death among inmates, and studies have found that mortality rates for the disease are higher among the incarcerated than for the general population.
Maybe a celebrity really is being treated like everyone else for once.
