Former film producer Harvey Weinstein has been facing numerous legal troubles since 2017, resulting in a conviction in 2020, and things have only escalated since then. Now Harvey Weinstein, who is currently serving time in New York City’s Rikers Island jail, claims he’ll die there if his retrial isn’t moved forward.
Harvey Weinstein made these claims to Judge Curtis Farber after the judge set April 15 as Weinstein’s trial date. This action was made after he denied a motion by Weinstein to have the indictment against him dismissed. Now, as shared via Deadline, this was Weinstein’s response as he sat seated in a wheelchair:
“I’m asking you, and begging you,” Weinstein began. He asked for his trial to be moved even a week ahead to April 7. “Every week counts. I’m holding on because I want justice for myself. I want this to be over.”
Weinstein, who is also suffering from cancer, adds that “every day is a struggle” at Rikers Island jail. He describes it as both a “hellhole” in addition to a “stain on this city.” Furthermore, due to the “medieval” surroundings at the jail, Weinstein hopes to be sent back to Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital “any day” due to his current health.
Judge Farber did agree to consider changing the date if all lawyers agree, though it’s not set in stone at this time. Additionally, the trial could even be postponed beyond April 15 if Weinstein’s lawyers plan to call an expert witness and fail to quickly notify prosecutors.
Weinstein’s attorney, Juda Engelmayer, did release the following statement:
“Judge Farber demonstrated exceptional responsiveness, and we deeply appreciate his thoughtful consideration of Harvey’s condition and circumstances,” Engelmayer shared. “We remain confident in a swift and efficient trial process and firmly believe that Harvey will be fully exonerated.”
Plans for a retrial surfaced after “The New York Court of Appeals overturned his 2020 felony sex crimes convictioned by a vote of 4-3 in April,” as explained by Deadline. The outlet continued to note that they ruled “that the original trial judge, James Burke, should have barred testimony from women whose sexual assault allegations against” Weinstein “were not part of the original 2018 indictment.”
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Harvey Weinstein and his legal situation including time at Rikers Island jail as we have them. In the meantime, we’ll have to see what happens with his retrial.