Harvey Weinstein's Latest Court Drama: Kaja Sokola Speaks Out in NY Trial
Ex-Polish Model Speaks Out in New York Courtroom Against Weinstein (Accusations of Sexual Misconduct) - Former model from Poland provides testimony in New York court against Weinstein (accusations of sexual misconduct)
Let's dive into the latest chapter of the Harvey Weinstein saga, as former model Kaja Sokola takes the stand in a New York court.
At 73, Weinstein found himself back in the hot seat, fighting charges for sexual assault and rape that landed him a 23-year sentence in 2020, but was later overturned due to procedural errors. The current retrial, underway since April, includes new testimony from Sokola, accusing Weinstein of forced oral sex.
- Harvey Weinstein
- Kaja Sokola
- New York
- Sexual Assault
Weinstein is charged with attacking Sokola in 2006, when she was 19, and with acts committed in 2002 when she was 16, though the latter is statute-barred. Sokola recounted the 2002 incident in court on Thursday.
The meeting took place at a swanky Manhattan restaurant during Sokola's first solo trip to NYC. Feeling "pretty damn special" meeting the 40-year-older film producer, she walked into a dangerous liaison. Weinstein lured her to lunch and then to an apartment in Manhattan, where he pressured her to undress under the false pretense of it being a necessity for acting. Despite her resistance, Weinstein performed sexual acts on her.
The 39-year-old's reasons for not reporting the incident at the time stemmed from feelings of shame and self-blame. "I thought it was all my fault," she tearfully confessed.
The second, 2006 incident unfolded in a Manhattan hotel, where Weinstein forced Sokola to have sex. Her testimony continues on Friday.
The #MeToo movement exposed Weinstein's history of sexual misconduct, with actresses and models like Ashley Judd and Asia Argento coming forward with allegations against him. Weinstein was eventually convicted of rape and a criminal sexual act in 2020, serving 23 years for assaulting Jessica Mann and forcibly performing oral sex on Mimi Haley. He also faced charges in Los Angeles and was convicted in December 2022 of raping an Italian model named Jennifer Siebel Newsom (under a pseudonym at trial).
- Kaja Sokola, a Polish ex-model, accused Harvey Weinstein of a 2006 sexual assault in New York, as she took the stand during his current retrial.
- The retrial, underway since April, involves new evidence from Sokola, who claims Weinstein forced oral sex upon her, an incident that allegedly occurred when she was 16.
- Sokola's testimony in the New York trial recounts a 2002 incident where she was lured to an apartment in Manhattan by Weinstein under false pretenses, leading to a sexual assault.
- In court, Sokola also detailed a 2006 incident in a Manhattan hotel where Weinstein allegedly forced her to have sex.
- Sokola, now 39, cited feelings of shame and self-blame as the reasons she did not report the 2002 incident at the time.
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