new york – Harvey Weinstein's lawyers filed a legal claim against New York City on Tuesday, alleging he is receiving poor medical treatment Under unsanitary conditions while detained at Rikers Island.
The notice of claim, which is the first step in filing the lawsuit, accuses the facility of failing to manage the former movie mogul's medical conditions, which include chronic myeloid leukemia And diabetes, and negligence ranging from “cold” conditions to lack of clean clothing.
The city's Law Department and Corrections Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“When I last visited him, I found him with blood splatters on his prison uniform, possibly from IVs, clothes that had not been washed for weeks, and he had not even been provided with clean underwear – serious medical conditions. “Hardly sanitary conditions for someone with the condition,” Weinstein's lawyer, Imran H. Ansari, said in a statement, comparing the facility to a “Gulag.”
Legal claim says Weinstein returned to Rikers soon after hospitalization
Weinstein, 72, Has been in city custody since the beginning of this yearnext An appeals court ruling overturned his 2020 rape conviction In the state. Case Preparations are underway to try again in 2025Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing,
Weinstein was Was admitted to hospital for some time in April And again in july For health problems. His team has said he has been treated for diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis, COVID-19 and fluid in his heart and lungs.
The legal claim, which seeks $5 million in damages, argues that he was returned to Rikers each time before he fully recovered.
Weinstein's film production company went into bankruptcy proceedings following his conviction, and a $17 million fund was established to fund sexual misconduct claims.
Rikers Island Jail Expected to close in 2027but in the city pushed back the deadline to do so,