An attorney for Weinstein says the disgraced producer’s back hurts so bad that he may not be able to handle the combined pressure of criminal court and civil litigation.
Attorneys for disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein are asking the courts to pause a $45 million lawsuit on account of the long-time producer’s bad back.
The New York Posts reports that Weinstein’s attorneys filed the motion Monday. In it, they say Weinstein’s sustained so many spinal injuries that he’s in constant pain and thus unable to participate in legal proceedings. Facing civil litigation and a criminal trial, Weinstein’s suffering is purportedly “too much to bear.”
Weinstein’s attorneys are, specifically, hoping to stay a suit filed by AI International Holdings.
AI, notes the New York Post, is best characterized as a loan company. It lent Weinstein and the producer’s namesake Weinstein Co. a sizeable sum. But when Weinstein was ousted from his own company, AI Holdings recalled the debt, then sued when it wasn’t received.
However, Weinstein is hoping the courts will pity his frail physical condition.
“Already encumbered with preparation for his impending criminal trial, coupled with the pain of orthopedic injuries causing significant ambulatory issues and requiring surgery, the weight is too much to bear all at once for Mr. Weinstein,” wrote attorney Imran Ansari in the stay request.
Weinstein, adds the Daily Post, is facing accusations of sexual assault and harassment by nearly 100 women. During his decades-long tenure as a top Hollywood producer, Weinstein purportedly intimidated and attempted to coerce numerous actresses into having sexual relations with him in exchange for roles and continued employment. Women who refused Weinstein’s advances were subject to intense retaliation, with some claiming to have been effectively black-listed from the film industry.
However, Weinstein’s injuries have appeared somewhat sporadic, attracting accusations that he’s playing up his suffering to win judicial reprieve. Weinstein appeared at a Manhattan Criminal Court last week wearing a spinal brace, only to be seen without it the next day.
Nevertheless, Weinstein’s attorney says it’s unrealistic to expect a severely injured man to endure the trials of criminal court and extensive civil litigation.
“Mr. Weinstein’s personal liberty is at stake [in criminal court,” Ansari wrote the judge, while “his financial liberty is at stake in the pending matter before your Honor.”
Following the bankruptcies of several of his companies, Weinstein is expected to bear financial responsibility for whatever sum may be imposed upon him.
“Given the monetary amount at issue here, we hope that the court grants Mr. Weinstein’s request so he can focus his energy on vigorously defending against the criminal allegations against him,” Ansari told The Post.
Sources
The Harvey Weinstein Settlement Shows He Still Hasn’t Faced a True Legal Reckoning
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers claim $45M lawsuit ‘too much to bear’ with back injury
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