Harvey Weinstein Is Begging for Earlier Trial Date, Calls Jail Hellhole

Harvey Weinstein is begging a New York City judge for an earlier trial date.

“I’m in a serious emergency situation, I’m begging for you to move your date,” Weinstein, 72, said to Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Curtis J. Farber on Wednesday, January 29. “I need to get out of this hellhole as quickly as possible.”

Weinstein’s trial is set to start on Tuesday, April 15. Judge Garber ruled on Wednesday that Weinstein, who has continued to maintain his innocence, will also face a new charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree — one Weinstein’s attorneys attempted to dismiss — which was not included in the original trial. (A woman alleged that in 2006, Weinstein forced oral sex on her in a NYC hotel.)

“I won’t be there for April,” the disgraced producer said, noting that he’s experiencing a “medieval situation” at the “hellhole” Rikers Island jail, where he’s currently being held.

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Harvey Weinstein appeared in court on Wednesday, May 1, for the first time since his rape conviction was overturned, and his case will be retried. “We believe in this case,” prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said about taking Weinstein’s case to court again. “It was a strong case in 2020 … and it remains a strong case […]

Weinstein has been experiencing a series of health problems throughout his prison stay. It was widely reported in October 2024 that he had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a rare form of bone marrow cancer while behind bars. The diagnosis came one month after Us Weekly confirmed that Weinstein had been rushed to Bellevue Hospital in New York for emergency heart surgery.

During his appearance in court on Wednesday, Weinstein claimed that he would be back at Bellevue Hospital “any day now” due to the conditions on Rikers Island.

“There are so many people suffering at Rikers Island. So many of the people I am with in prison are going through similar problems. They don’t have the same mouthpiece I have,” he added. “It remains a stain on this city.”

Related: Judge Sets New Date for Harvey Weinstein Retrial

Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction was overturned four years after he was found guilty of criminal sexual assault and rape. Weinstein, 72, was first accused of decades of sexual assault and harassment by multiple women in 2017. The disgruntled movie producer vehemently denied all allegations before checking himself into a treatment facility. One year later, […]

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison after being convicted of rape in 2020. His sentencing was overturned in April 2024 by the New York State Court of Appeals, stating that the original trial judge had prejudiced Weinstein with improper ruling. (The judge allowed victims to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.)

A statement from the court released via the Associated Press at the time said that “the remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.”

While Weinstein awaits his April court date, he remains in prison for subsequent rape charges in Los Angeles. In 2022, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for those crimes. (Weinstein was also acquitted of one Los Angeles charge which involved one of the women who testified in New York.)

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)