‘This situation is an emergency’: Harvey Weinstein is asking the judge to release him from prison to see a private dentist – fearing prison medics will pull out his rotten teeth and leave cavities unfilled
- Harvey Weinstein told judges his Rotten molars had become a dental “emergency”.
- Weinstein is currently serving 23 years after being convicted of sexual abuse
- Weinstein is on trial in October for sexually assaulting five women
- He argued that he should be allowed to make bridges or false teeth look “presentable” in court
By Rachael Bunyan For Web
Published: 9:25 AM BST, 15 September 2022 | Updated at 09:36 BST, 15 Sep 2022
Harvey Weinstein has asked a judge to let him see a private dentist instead of having prison paramedics pull out his rotten teeth and leave gaping holes in his mouth.
The disgraced film producer said his rotting molars had become a dental “emergency” while pleading before a judge in a Los Angeles courtroom.
Weinstein, who was serving 23 years after his conviction on sexual charges in New York, said, “I’m going to pay for the dentist … it’s going to be a trip and a trip only.”
The 70-year-old is being jailed ahead of an Oct. 10 trial on charges of raping and sexually abusing five women between 2004 and 2013. At the negotiation.
“I’m in pain every day. I have tooth decay and I can’t eat because I’m missing teeth,” Weinstein told Judge Lench, reports the New York Post.
Harvey Weinstein (pictured outside the Manhattan Courthouse in 2020) has asked a judge to let him see a private dentist instead of having prison medics pull out his rotten teeth and leave gaping holes in his mouth
The disgraced film producer’s attorney, Mark Werksman, said dentists at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility told Weinstein he could either have his rotten teeth pulled without a replacement or let them continue to decay.
Mr. Werksman claimed that not allowing Weinstein to see a private dentist would violate his constitutional rights.
The attorney added that a gaping hole in front of Weinstein’s mouth would make him look “ridiculous” and “like a caricature” before his trial.
But Judge Lench told Weinstein that while he is able to pay for transportation to and from the private dentist, the trip would involve a number of sheriff’s department employees — meaning his request went beyond the norm.
Weinstein is awaiting his Oct. 10 trial on charges including 11 counts of rape and sexual assault involving five women in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills dating back to 2004 and 2013.
During Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutors also asked the judge to allow two witnesses living in Italy to testify via video link instead of traveling to the United States for the trial.
The judge ordered witness Lubov Smirnova, who worked for one of Weinstein’s alleged victims and their families, to appear in person, the New York Post reports. But a second witness, Pascal Vicedomini, will appear via video for medical reasons.
Weinstein (pictured in an LA courtroom in 2021), who was serving 23 years after his conviction on sex charges in New York, said, “I’m going to pay for the dentist … it’s going to be a trip and a trip only.” be.”
Meanwhile, in another case, the New York Supreme Court has agreed to appeal Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction.
Weinstein was convicted in New York in February 2020 for forcibly performing oral sex on TV and film production assistant Mimi Haley on “Project Runway” in 2006 and for raping an aspiring actress in 2013.
He was acquitted of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault stemming from allegations by actress Annabella Sciorra of a mid-1990s rape.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison and is currently in custody in California awaiting trial on October 10.
In June he was also charged in the UK for the indecent assault on a woman in London in 1996.
It’s unclear if that case will ever go to court, as UK officials would have to decide whether to seek his extradition while he’s already serving a lengthy sentence in the US.
In all, nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek, have accused Weinstein of molestation or assault. He denies all allegations.