Awaiting a brand new New York trial subsequent 12 months on extra intercourse crimes prices, Harvey Weinstein appears to be wishing he was spending Thanksgiving behind bars on the Wende Correctional Facility close to Buffalo and never at Rikers Island.
That’s actually one of many takeaways from the long-incarcerated and convicted rapist’s lawsuit of “at least $5,000,000.00” towards town of New York and others over the circumstances and medial providers on the notoriously violent and decrepit 92-year-old jail.
“This declare seeks financial damages arising from negligence, carelessness, recklessness, gross negligence, medical malpractice, intentional and/or reckless and/or negligent deprivation of medical therapy, deprivation of civil and constitutional rights, and negligent and intentional torts dedicated by officers, brokers, and staff of the New York Metropolis Division of Correction (“NYC DOC”), New York Metropolis Well being & Hospitals Company (“NYC H+H”), Rikers Island Correctional Facility, and New York Metropolis Well being & Hospitals Company/Bellevue (“Bellevue Hospital”),” reads the November 26 submitting in New York state courtroom from Weinstein’s Adala, Bertuna & Kamins attorneys.
Some extent hit residence at the moment by one in every of Weinstein’s authorized staff.
“After I final visited him, I discovered him with blood spatter on his jail garb, probably from IV’s, garments that had not been washed for weeks, and he had not even been offered clear underwear – hardly sanitary circumstances for somebody with extreme medical circumstances and susceptibility to sickness,” protection legal professional Imran H. Ansari informed Deadline of what she termed “deplorable circumstances” within the jail in a press release after the submitting. “I questioned whether or not I used to be in a jail facility that’s purported to be managed in accordance with our structure, or a gulag the place the prisoners are handled like animals.”
Learn the total assertion from Weinstein’s legal professional beneath.
Affected by sickness even throughout his 2020 intercourse crimes trial in Manhattan, the now 72-year-old Pulp Fiction producer has been out and in of hospitals even earlier than he was transferred to Rikers from the upstate Wende jail in April after the New York Court docket of Appeals overturned his New York felony convictions on first-degree sexual assault and third-degree rape, and the following 23 12 months sentence. As a result of his intercourse crimes convictions in Los Angeles in late 2022, Weinstein remained behind bars, although extra usually in Bellevue than Rikers.
“Whereas within the custody of Rikers Island Correctional Facility, the Claimant’s medical circumstances deteriorated considerably, unreasonably, and dangerously, resulting in a number of situations the place the Claimant feared for his life. Respondents have been on discover of Claimant’s medical situation but deliberately, recklessly, and/or negligently, did not render correct medical therapy to Claimant,” the five-page submitting from Weinstein protection lawyer Ansari added. “Mentioned conduct fell beneath the usual of look after medical professionals. Moreover, the circumstances amounted to merciless and weird punishment in violation of Claimant’s constitutional rights.”
With no small diploma of coincidence, the submitting comes as a federal choose Wednesday dominated New York Metropolis was in contempt for not adequately dealing with the brutality and rising violence at Rikers. In an usually scathing 65-page ruling about ongoing failings of officers to get the growing old facility again on monitor and the “civil contempt of eighteen provisions” already got down to assist make things better, Choose Laura Taylor Swain indicated she was contemplating a return to direct Division of Justice oversight for Rikers.
Regardless that the New York Metropolis Council voted just lately to shut Rikers by August 2027, that purpose seems to be unlikely, which is why, partly, Swan has given metropolis and prisoner officers till January 14 to place collectively a receivership technique for the overstuffed jail.
Town of New York didn’t reply to request for touch upon the a lot accused Weinstein’s new lawsuit. In the event that they do, this publish might be up to date.
Right here is the total assertion from Weinstein’s attorneys:
“Harvey Weinstein has suffered significantly from the deplorable circumstances on Rikers Island. Most importantly, the system has failed him in offering him essentially the most fundamental medical care. However he wants greater than fundamental care, he wants the intensive medical therapy that one could be afforded in any civilized society – prisoner or not. Quite than receiving the medical care he wants, he stays with out vital remedy, enough therapy by competent physicians for advanced and severe medical circumstances, and is disadvantaged of even essentially the most elemental humane therapy. After I final visited him, I discovered him with blood spatter on his jail garb, probably from IV’s, garments that had not been washed for weeks, and he had not even been offered clear underwear – hardly sanitary circumstances for somebody with extreme medical circumstances and susceptibility to sickness. I questioned whether or not I used to be in a jail facility that’s purported to be managed in accordance with our structure, or a gulag the place the prisoners are handled like animals. The therapy, or lack thereof, that Mr. Weinstein is receiving on Rikers Island doesn’t solely quantity to medical negligence, it quantities to merciless and weird punishment in violation of the Eighth Modification. The disregard to Mr. Weinstein’s medical wants is an instance as to why Rikers Island has been underneath the extraordinary scrutiny by officers and the general public, and is the topic of federal oversight. However, we don’t reside in a rustic the place a prisoner akin to Mr. Weinstein should endure such harsh and draconian therapy, and disrespect to his medical wants, with out recourse underneath the legislation. As such, to make sure that his constitutional rights are protected, and people chargeable for medical negligence and different violations of the legislation are held accountable, Mr. Weinstein is suing the Metropolis of New York and the businesses chargeable for his mistreatment. We supposed to aggressively combat for his rights, and therein, uphold the integrity of our justice system and the values embodied in our structure.”
