Harvey Weinstein was taken to hospital to undergo heart surgery

CNN
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Harvey Weinstein was admitted to Bellevue Hospital in New York on Sunday evening “due to various health issues,” according to representatives for the disgraced former film producer.

“We can confirm that Mr. Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today,” Weinstein's spokesman Juda Engelmayer and prison counselor Craig Rothfeld said in a statement to CNN on Monday.

“As we have previously detailed, Mr. Weinstein suffers from a variety of serious health issues that require ongoing treatment,” they added.

A source familiar with the circumstances of the hospitalization said the surgery was completed. Weinstein's court appearance scheduled for Thursday will still go ahead unless a doctor tells him otherwise, the person said.

If he cannot appear in person, the hearing could be delayed.

Weinstein's defense team was informed in mid-August that a grand jury in New York was reviewing evidence related to sexual assault allegations against the disgraced movie magnate. It is unclear whether the Manhattan district attorney's office has obtained a new indictment.

Weinstein has struggled with numerous health problems in recent years and had to appear in court in a wheelchair.

Weinstein, 72, was convicted of first-degree sexual assault and third-degree rape in 2020. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison, but his conviction was overturned on appeal in April.

He remains in prison in New York while he appeals another 2022 conviction in Los Angeles, where he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and sentenced to 16 years in prison.