Harvey Weinstein's lawyers filed a lawsuit Tuesday against New York City, alleging that Weinstein is being held at the notorious Rikers Island prison and receiving substandard medical care in unsanitary conditions.
The notice of claim, which is the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city, accuses the facility of failing to manage the former movie mogul's medical conditions, including chronic myeloid leukemia and diabetes, and of negligence that ranged from “freezing” to frigid conditions. is accused of being responsible. lack of clean clothing;
The city's Law Department and Department of Corrections did not respond to requests for comment.
“When I last visited him, he had blood splattered on his prison uniform, probably from an IV drip, clothes he hadn't washed in weeks, he hadn't even been provided with clean underwear, and he was in serious condition. “Conditions were hardly sanitary for people with medical conditions,” Weinstein's lawyer Imran H. Ansari said in a statement, comparing the facility to a “concentration camp.”
Weinstein, 72, has been in city custody since earlier this year after the New York Court of Appeals vacated his 2020 rape conviction in that state.
The case is scheduled to be retried in 2025, but Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing.
Mr. Weinstein was briefly hospitalized in April and again in July due to health issues. His team said he was being treated for diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis, COVID-19 and fluid in his heart and lungs.
The legal claim seeks $5 million in damages and claims he was returned to Rikers each time before he fully recovered.
Weinstein's film production company filed for bankruptcy following his conviction and set up a $17 million sexual misconduct claims fund.
Rikers Island Jail is scheduled to close in 2027, but the city has postponed that deadline.
