Harvey Weinstein Files Complaint Against New York City Over ‘Gulag’ Conditions on Rikers Island

Attorneys for disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein filed a legal complaint Tuesday against the city of New York over poor conditions at the Rikers Island prison, including poor medical care.

Weinstein, who is serving time at Rikers after being convicted of sexual assault and rape transferred between Rikers and Bellevue Hospital in New York multiple times this year due to ongoing health issues. He was too diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer called chronic myeloid leukemia.

The document accuses the city and the prison of negligently failing to provide the former movie mogul with “timely and appropriate” medical care. It was also alleged that both sides failed to provide “the most basic human needs”, such as clean clothing and “hygienic living conditions”. This was reported on NBC News.

Weinstein’s lawyer, Imran Ansari, also compared prison conditions to those in a Russian gulag and said prisoners were treated like animals.

“When I last visited him, I found him with blood stains on his prison clothes, probably from his IV drips, clothes that had not been washed in weeks, and he had not even been provided with clean underwear,” Ansari said in a statement. “Hardly. sanitary conditions for a person with serious medical conditions and susceptibility to disease.”

Ansari also said prison conditions violate the Eighth Amendment because they constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.”

“We intend to aggressively fight for his rights and, in doing so, uphold the integrity of our justice system and the values ​​embodied in our constitution,” he added.

Weinstein and his legal team are seeking $5 million in damages.

The imprisoned tycoon denies ever sexually assaulting, abusing or raping anyone, but he did. was convicted on rape and sexual assault in California.

Misty Severi is the evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on x for greater coverage.