Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein begs trial date change due to health concerns

Harvey Weinstein yesterday begged a judge to hold his trial as soon as possible. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on,” the disgraced media mogul said, regarding his cancer, heart issues and harsh conditions at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex.

Judge Curtis Farber set the date for Weinstein’s retrial at 15 April this year, prompting the movie producer’s plea to swap for another unrelated trial the judge has in March.

“Everyday I’m at Rikers Island, it’s a mystery to me how I’m still walking,” Weinstein said at a hearing in state court in Manhattan. “I’m holding on because I want justice for myself and I want this to be over with”.

Weinstein, 72, is being treated for numerous health conditions, including chronic myeloid leukaemia, heart issues and diabetes. He complained to Farber that jail officers gave him the wrong pills Wednesday morning and failed to pick him up for court in a timely fashion.

Weinstein arrived in court in a wheelchair more than a half-hour after the hearing's scheduled start time. At times as he addressed Farber, he sounded more like the imperious studio boss he once was.

“I’m asking and begging you, your honour, to move your trial,” Weinstein said, suggesting that even a week's head start would be helpful.

Weinstein has been in city custody since early 2024 after the New York Court of Appeals overturned his 2020 rape conviction in the state. The case is set to be retried next year. Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing.

The decision, decided by a 4-3 vote, was anchored on the premise that the presiding judge in the watershed #MeToo trial had unfairly prejudiced the disgraced former movie mogul with what the court described as “egregious” improper rulings.

His 2020 rape conviction was considered the culmination of the #MeToo movement started in 2017. In October that year, reports by The New York Times and The New Yorker revealed that dozens of women had accused film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse spanning over three decades, with over 80 women eventually coming forward.

Weinstein denied any non-consensual sex but was quickly dismissed from The Weinstein Company, expelled from professional associations, and retreated from public life.

Criminal investigations ensued in Los Angeles, New York City, and London. In May 2018, Weinstein was arrested in New York, leading to charges of rape and other offences.

In February 2020, he was convicted of rape in the third degree and a criminal sexual act, resulting in a 23-year prison sentence. Additionally, in 2022 he was convicted in Los Angeles, receiving a 16-year sentence for rape and sexual assault. Weinstein has remained imprisoned because of his 2022 conviction.