Harvey Weinstein undergoes emergency heart surgery, representatives say

Film mogul’s hospitalisation comes as he awaits a new trial after overturning of sex crime convictions in New York.

Jailed Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has undergone emergency heart surgery after being rushed to a hospital from prison in New York.

Weinstein, 72, was transferred from Rikers Island prison to New York’s Bellevue Hospital to undergo a procedure to remove fluid from his heart and lungs, his representatives said on Monday.

“We can confirm that Mr. Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today,” his prison consultant Craig Rothfeld and publicist Juda Engelmayer said in a statement.

Weinstein’s representatives have previously said that the film mogul suffers from a range of health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis and fluid in his heart and lungs.

In July, his representatives said he had been hospitalised for COVID and pneumonia in both lungs.

Weinstein’s hospitalisation comes after a New York appeals court in April threw out his 2020 rape and sexual assault convictions on the grounds that he did not receive a fair trial.

Jury selection for a new trial for the disgraced film producer has been tentatively scheduled for November.

Weinstein was also sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2022 in a separate sex crimes case in Los Angeles.

His lawyers are seeking a retrial in the California case following the overturning of his convictions in New York.

In 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker detailed allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Weinstein stretching back decades, kickstarting the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse.

Weinstein, who has been accused of wrongdoing by more than 80 women, has denied engaging in any non-consensual sexual activity.