Harvey Weinstein is using a walker these days, his lawyer says, but he refused to do so in court on Friday because he didn't want people to think he was faking impairment for sympathy.
But as we all know, Twitter is a harsh province: Thus, many concluded the worst after watching Weinstein, 67, looking haggard and frail, hobble in and out of cars and the Manhattan courthouse flanked on both sides by burly assistants holding him up by his arms.
Weinstein, according to some posters, looked similar to Bill Cosby when he attended his recent trial..
"Harvey Weinstein, 67, hobbles into court ... Just like Bill Cosby..now he is frail & looking for sympathy?" tweeted Nino Firetto.
"#HarveyWeinstein is doing the Bill Cosby “I’m frail” perp walk. Fragile, my ass," commented a tweeter called elatticus.
Cosby, 82, the comedy icon convicted of sex crimes in 2018, looked increasingly unsteady during two trials due in part to age and to deteriorating eyesight. He walked into court in suburban Philadelphia every day accompanied by security guards and assistants who held him up by his arms.
But Donna Rotunno, one of Weinstein's lead lawyers, insists her client is reallyhurting.
"He has a back problem and he's in a lot pain," Rotunno told USA TODAY. "It's been exacerbated by some issues and now he's dealing with it."
He uses a walker in his "regular life," she said. "He decided not to use it today because he didn't want to seem as if he's trying to get publicity and now people are slamming him. It's disgusting.
"There's nothing fake about it – you can tell by his appearance from August to now, it's clear that he’s suffering."
The state of Weinstein's aching back became fodder on social media Friday because of his appearance when he limped into court for a bail hearing.
Prosecutors in his sex-crimes case, accusing him of violating his bail conditions by mishandling his electronic ankle monitor, sought to either jail him or increase his bond from $1 million to $5 million. Judge James Burke put off a ruling until next week.
Weinstein has been free on bail since May 2018 when he was first charged with sex crimes, including rape and sexual assault. He is set for trial on Jan. 6 on five charges involving two accusers and dating to 2013 and 2006.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies all allegations of non-consensual sex lodged against him since the fall of 2017.
The reason for revisiting Weinstein's bail this close to trial is due to changes in New York law due to take effect Jan. 1, including a provision that says defendants out on bail should not be forced to pay for their own monitoring through devices such as ankle bracelets.
Rotunno says the judge now has to rule on bond conditions that fit within the new law.
"(The prosecutor's) concern is that because there is no monitoring, you need to increase his bail or other conditions," Rotunno said. "But Harvey is adamant there is nothing more he wants than his day in court, he wants to be there and he has never attempted not to appear in court."
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December 07, 2019 at 05:43AM
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Why is Harvey Weinstein limping? Bad back pain, says his lawyer - USA TODAY
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