Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan Criminal Court for the third day of jury selection in his retrial, Thursday, April 17, 2025 in New York. (Steven Hirsch /New York Post via AP, Pool)2025-04-18T16:25:27Z NEW YORK (AP) Harvey Weinstein has been moved to a New York City hospital after a judge approved the ailing ex-studio bosss request to stay there rather than in jail when hes not in court for his #MeToo retrial.Judge Paul Goetz late Thursday ordered that Weinstein be immediately relocated from the citys notorious Rikers Island jail complex to the prison ward at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan so he can receive necessary medical treatment.Weinsteins lawyers lobbied for the move as jury selection got underway this week. They argued in court papers that being locked up in a sometimes freezing jail cell was exacerbating the Oscar-winning producers health issues, which include chronic myeloid leukemia, diabetes and walking difficulties that require a wheelchair to get in and out of court.Goetzs order will remain in effect at least until next Thursday, when he is set to hold a hearing to discuss the matter further. A different judge, Curtis Farber, is presiding over Weinsteins retrial. The case will resume Monday with more jury selection after nine jurors were picked this week. In all, 12 jurors and six alternates need to be seated.Weinstein is being tried again on rape and sexual assault charges after New Yorks highest court, the Court of Appeals, last year overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence and ordered a new trial, finding that improper rulings and prejudicial testimony tainted the original one. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and denies raping or sexually assaulting anyone.Weinstein has been back and forth numerous times to Bellevue in recent months for treatment of various maladies. At a pretrial hearing in January, he railed against his treatment at Rikers, telling Farber he wanted to get out of this hellhole as quickly as possible.Weinsteins lawyers filed a legal claim against New York City last November, alleging he was receiving substandard medical treatment in unhygienic conditions at Rikers. The claim, which seeks $5 million in damages, argues that Weinstein has been returned to Rikers each time before fully recovering at the hospital.The troubled jail complex has faced growing scrutiny for its mistreatment of detainees and dangerous conditions. Last year, a federal judge cleared the way for a possible federal takeover, finding the city had placed inmates in unconstitutional danger. MICHAEL R. SISAK Sisak is an Associated Press reporter covering law enforcement and courts in New York City, including former President Donald Trumps criminal and civil cases and problems plaguing the federal prison system. twitter mailto