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Harvey Weinstein hospitalised after rape conviction overturned: ‘needs a lot of help’

  • The former film mogul’s lawyer says his client is a ‘train wreck health wise’ and is undergoing a battery of tests
  • A New York court has erased Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence, but he remained in custody because of another rape conviction in Los Angeles

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Harvey Weinstein arrives at a New York courthouse in February 2020. Photo: AP

Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said on Saturday that the one-time film mogul was hospitalised for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeal court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.

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Lawyer Arthur Aidala said Weinstein was moved to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after his arrival on Friday to city jails.

“They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically. He’s got a lot of problems. He’s getting all kinds of tests. He’s somewhat of a train wreck health wise,” Aidala said.

A message left with the hospital was not immediately returned Saturday. Messages seeking comment were also left with city and state corrections offices.

Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, speaks to the press in New York on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, speaks to the press in New York on Thursday. Photo: AFP

On Thursday, the New York Court of Appeals vacated his conviction after concluding that a trial judge permitted jurors to see and hear too much evidence not directly related to the charges he faced. It also erased his 23-year prison sentence and ordered a retrial.

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Prosecutors said they intended to retry him on charges that he forcibly performed oral sex on a television and film production assistant in 2006 and raped an aspiring actor in 2013.

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