Attorneys for Harvey Weinstein filed a lawsuit against New York City on Tuesday, claiming the disgraced Hollywood tycoon is living in an unsanitary environment and receiving subpar medical care at the Rikers Island prison complex.
The city and the facility are charged with negligently failing to provide Weinstein with timely and adequate medical treatment as well as the most basic human needs, such as clean clothes and hygienic living conditions, in the notice of claim, a legal document that must be submitted before a lawsuit is formally filed.
According to the court document, Weinstein’s medical conditions include high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary artery disease, obstructive sleep apnea, obesity, and chronic myeloid leukemia, among others. According to a representative, he underwent emergency heart surgery in September after being hospitalized in April and July.
Requests for comment were not immediately answered by the city’s public hospital system, the Department of Corrections, or the mayor’s office in New York City.
Weinstein’s attorney, Imran H. Ansari, likened the Rikers Island facility to a gulag where the inmates are treated like animals in a long statement that was included with the seven-page document.
He had blood spatter on his prison uniform, possibly from IVs, clothes that hadn’t been cleaned in weeks, and no clean underwear when I last visited him, according to Ansari. These conditions are hardly hygienic for someone with serious medical issues and a high risk of getting sick.
In part, Ansari stated, “The treatment—or lack thereof—that Mr. Weinstein is receiving on Rikers Island amounts to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment, in addition to medical negligence.” By vigorously defending his rights, we hope to preserve the integrity of our legal system and the principles outlined in our constitution.
The attorneys for the former film producer are requesting $5 million in damages.
Weinstein, 72, was taken into city jail earlier this year after his 2020 rape conviction was reversed by the New York Court of Appeals in a 4-3 ruling. Prosecutors in Manhattan plan to retry the case in 2025. Weinstein denied any misconduct and entered a not guilty plea.
The #MeToo movement, which calls for powerful individuals in the entertainment industry and other sectors to face their sexual misbehavior, was fueled by the accusations of sexual assault and harassment made against Weinstein by over 80 women.
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