Yahoo News Weinstein 'not seeking sympathy' by using walking frame at court, lawyer says
Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein arrived for a bail hearing that could have seen him jailed using a walking frame — though his legal team insisted he was not looking for sympathy ahead of his trial.
The 67-year-old was back in court in New York on Wednesday over accusations he repeatedly mishandled an ankle monitoring system meant to track his location. Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi said Mr Weinstein committed 57 violations over a two-month period, adding: “The people's position is none of the bracelet violations were accidental.”
Mr Weinstein could be seen pushing himself slowly into the courthouse using a four-legged accessible walking frame while flanked by a team of attorneys and security guards.
Donna Rotunno, who represents Mr Weinstein, told CNN the former producer’s legal team had been encouraging him to use a walker for his court appearance before a scheduled back surgery on Thursday.
“We wanted him to use a walker last week”, she said, but “Mr Weinstein didn’t want the press to think he was seeking sympathy”.
“He is in pain,” she added, “he’s having surgery and we will be back in court on 6 January for trial.”
The attorney previously revealed last week that Weinstein was suffering from “some back issues that we’re hoping to address this week”, adding: “That’s where his health stands. You can tell, it’s tough on him.”
Judge James Burke has seemingly remained unrelenting towards Mr Weinstein, who stands accused of numerous instances of sexual assault.
The judge told him the court would “not be terribly understanding” if he were to suffer any medical issues that would cause his failure to appear in court, and that he would issue a warrant for the former producer’s arrest if he were absent for trial in the New Year.
“I have every intention of being there”, Weinstein responded. He added: “This is a good thing.”
Though the Pulp Fiction producer’s health may be deteriorating, the Manhattan district attorney noted his violations came to a halt after the court threatened to change the circumstances of his bail.
Ms Rotunno said on Wednesday that Mr Weinstein would accept a $2m insurance company bond on top of his previous $1m cash bail and additional assets — a move that allows him to remain living at his home in Westchester, New York as the trial moves forward. One option the prosecution had been pushing for had been jailing him ahead of his trial.
The judge described the terms of Mr Weinstein’s living arrangements to be the “least restrictive conditions” possible — he can travel to and from his residencies in New York and Connecticut, though he must forfeit his passport — and said they would ultimately guarantee his return for the trial.
