Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie mogul, is pleading for a New York judge to expedite the retrial in his groundbreaking #MeToo case due to his declining health.
Weinstein, who is battling chronic myeloid leukaemia, diabetes, and heart issues, expressed his struggles while being held at the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City.
The 72-year-old, whose 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction involving two women was overturned last year, insists that any sexual activity he engaged in was consensual.
Despite his health challenges, Weinstein is determined to seek justice for himself and bring the case to a close, stating, “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”
During a recent hearing, Judge Curtis Farber set the retrial to begin on 15 April.
However, Weinstein requested the judge to consider moving the trial earlier due to his emergency health situation. His lawyer, Arthur Aidala, emphasized the urgency of the retrial, highlighting Weinstein’s deteriorating health condition and innocence in the eyes of the law.
Weinstein, once a powerful figure in Hollywood, now faces legal battles as multiple women came forward with allegations against him in 2017, sparking the #MeToo movement.
Despite the overturned conviction in New York, he remains in custody following a separate rape conviction in Los Angeles in 2022. His lawyers have filed an appeal in that case.
As Weinstein continues to navigate his legal challenges and health struggles, the retrial remains a crucial moment in his ongoing legal saga.
