Accused sexual predator Harvey Weinstein’s legal headaches are now accompanied by excruciating back pain.
The movie mogul’s defense lawyer Donna Rotunno released a Tuesday statement detailing the disgraced Oscar winner’s health woes that will send him in for back surgery later this week.
“I was dismayed to see all the press coverage incorrectly stating that Mr. Weinstein was trying to garner sympathy at his court appearance last week,” said Rotunno. “Mr. Weinstein was in a serious car accident in August, which resulted in a concussion and has now necessitated the need for back surgery.”
Weinstein appeared unsteady and somewhat gaunt at his latest court appearance this past Friday, where prosecutors argued for a boost in his bail from $1 million to $5 million. He is due back in court on Wednesday for a ruling on the bail issue.
Prosecutors alleged that the 67-year-old Weinstein, facing charges of raping a woman inside a Manhattan hotel and performing a forcible sex act on another woman, was intentionally disabling his court-ordered ankle bracelet to avoid staying on the law enforcement radar.
The one-Oscar winner, now a reviled Hollywood outcast, said nothing as he navigated his way in and out of court last week. But Rotunno, in her five-sentence statement, defended her client against suggestions that his obvious discomfort was merely a ploy to make him appear less offensive.
“The press surrounding his physical condition is mean-spirited and false,” the defense attorney concluded.
Weinstein’s unsteady gait, with help from two assistants as he exited the Manhattan Criminal Court last week, was the result of his decision to attend the hearing without the use of his walker, according to Rotunno.
Though the defense denied the allegation that Weinstein was deliberately fiddling with his ankle monitor, prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon noted there were 56 reported violations in recent months of the Hollywood honcho falling off the law enforcement radar.
“The people’s position is none of the bracelet violations were accidental or in any way forgetful on the part of the defendant,” said the prosecutor.
