Rape accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has bone marrow cancer

Los Angeles: Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, a type of bone marrow cancer, according to NBC News and reports from Variety.com.

“Craig Rothfeld, Mr. Weinstein’s authorized legal healthcare representative in New York State, expresses profound dismay at the speculation surrounding Mr. Weinstein’s medical condition,” Weinstein’s spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said in a statement.

“It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse. Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein’s privacy, we will offer no further comment.”

Weinstein recently appeared in a Manhattan court for the first time since undergoing heart surgery in September. He was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair and pleaded not guilty to a new charge of criminal sexual conduct that was filed against him the previous week.

His lawyer, Arthur Aidala, stated that Weinstein “almost died” following his emergency heart surgery. The former movie mogul has faced other health issues as well, having been hospitalised over the summer for diabetes and contracting both Covid-19 and double pneumonia during his stay.

In April, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction. The court found that his original trial made a mistake by allowing testimony from three additional accusers, which was deemed prejudicial and not relevant to the charges he was facing. As a result, the court vacated the conviction and ordered a retrial.

The new trial was initially scheduled for November but is now expected to take place in early 2025. Weinstein, a prominent figure in the #MeToo movement, has consistently denied any allegations of assault or rape against him.

In 1979, Weinstein and his brother Bob co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several hit films, including “Sex, Lies, and Videotape,” “The Crying Game,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Shakespeare in Love.”

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