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A look at Harvey Weinstein's health and legal woes as he faces more criminal charges

A look at Harvey Weinstein's health and legal woes as he faces more criminal charges

NEW YORK – Disgraced former film mogul Harvey Weinstein is facing mounting legal and health problems some seven years after numerous women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against him, helping to spark the global #MeToo movement.

He was indicted on additional sex crimes in New York on Thursday before a new trial in the fall. The grand jury's decision will remain sealed until he is officially tried.

Weinstein insisted that all sexual activity was consensual.

The 72-year-old remains in hospital after undergoing emergency heart surgery – just the latest of many ailments that have occurred during his detention.

Here is a summary of the current status:

Resumption of proceedings in New York

In April, New York State's highest court overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction for rape and sexual assault, ruling that the trial judge had improperly allowed testimony against him based on allegations made by other women who were not part of the case.

A new hearing has been ordered, with the provisional start date being 12 November.

One of the two accusers in the case has said she is willing to testify against Weinstein again, but it remains to be seen whether the other accuser will also take the stand again.

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for this conviction.

New criminal charges

Earlier this month, prosecutors announced that a grand jury in Manhattan had reviewed evidence for up to three additional charges against Weinstein.

These include alleged sexual assaults at the Tribeca Grand Hotel (now the Roxy Hotel) and in a residential building in Lower Manhattan between late 2005 and mid-2006, as well as an alleged sexual assault at a Tribeca hotel in May 2016.

Given Weinstein's current health, it is unclear when he will be formally charged. The next court hearing before a retrial is scheduled for September 18.

It is also unclear how the additional allegations will be taken into account in the retrial. Prosecutors want to include the new charges in the retrial, but Weinstein's lawyers are against it and say it should be a separate case.

Appeal against judgment in California

In 2022, Weinstein was found guilty of rape, forced oral sex and other sexual misconduct after a month-long trial in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

During the trial, a woman testified that Weinstein showed up uninvited at her hotel room during the 2013 LA Italia Film Festival and that Weinstein became sexually aggressive after she let him in.

Weinstein's lawyers appealed the ruling in June, arguing that the trial judge had wrongly ignored evidence that the Italian model and actor had been having a sexual relationship with the film festival director at the time of the alleged assault.

Charges dropped in UK

British prosecutors announced on September 5 that they had decided to drop two charges of sexual assault against Weinstein because there was “no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.”

In 2022, the agency authorized London's Metropolitan Police Service to bring charges against Weinstein for an alleged incident that occurred in London in 1996. The victim was in her 50s at the time of the disclosure.

Pending civil proceedings

Weinstein is also facing several lawsuits from women accusing him of sexual misconduct.

Among the most recent allegations is that of actress Julia Ormond, who starred alongside Brad Pitt in “Legends of the Fall” and opposite Harrison Ford in “Sabrina.” She filed the lawsuit in New York last year, accusing Weinstein of sexually harassing her in 1995 and then hindering her career.

The majority of the lawsuits against Weinstein were settled in 2021 through a bankruptcy settlement of his former film company, The Weinstein Co. The agreement included a victims' fund of about $17 million for about 40 women who sued him.

Health problems

Weinstein's lawyers have regularly expressed concerns about his deteriorating health since his incarceration following his 2020 conviction.

He is regularly transported in a wheelchair during his appearances in Manhattan court, and his lawyers say he suffers from macular degeneration and diabetes, which have been exacerbated by poor nutrition in prison.

Weinstein's pericardiocentesis last week was to drain fluid around his heart. His lawyers say his medications cause him to retain water and he needs constant monitoring to make sure the fluid buildup is not fatal.

A judge has granted his request to remain indefinitely at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan rather than being transferred back to the infirmary at the notorious Rikers Island prison complex.

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Follow Philip Marcelo on twitter.com/philmarcelo.

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