Harvey Weinstein Wants Bail Pending Appeal On Rape Conviction
Lawyers for Harvey Weinstein are wanting him to be released on $2 million bail pending the outcome of an appeal of his rape conviction in Manhattan; in which his attorneys claim Justice James Burke seated a juror who’d repeatedly lied to the court.
Although his appeal has yet to be filed with the Appellate Division First Department, the disgraced movie mogul’s lawyers use his history of philanthropy and raising money as arguments to see him free; plus his declining health. They say he’s currently wheelchair-bound and losing vision in both eyes due to his diabetes. He’s also suffering from an enlarged aorta and prostate, and needing to take over 20 different medications. While he tested positive for COVID-19 in March, his lawyers fear he’ll contract the virus again in prison.
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In addition to his health and philanthropy, one of his attorneys, Barry Kamins, argued that Weinstein has used his film career for the greater good, claiming, he’s “shined a spotlight on a myriad of human struggles,” including racial injustice awareness (seen in ‘The Butler,’ Nelson Mandela‘s ‘Long Walk to Freedom,’ and ‘Fruitvale Station‘).
Alongside his rape conviction in Manhattan, Weinstein faces rape and sexual battery charges in California. Currently, the Los Angeles County Superior Court has authorized his release on $5 million bail. His attorneys ask that in addition, his bail in New York be set at $2 million , “in light of Mr. Weinstein’s diminished means an failing health.”
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