By Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press
New York (AP) – A former model reproached one of the lawyers for Harvey Weinstein for suggesting that his allegations of sexual abuse against the former studio boss are lies.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” said Kaja Sokola. In her fifth and last day of testimony during the novelty of Weinstein’s sexual crimes, she argued that she was telling the truth and that the alleged conduct of Weinstein in adolescence had changed the course of her life.
“This has changed the course of your life to that you got $ 3.5 million in false accusations?” Defense lawyer Mike Cibella has pressed, referring to the remuneration it has been awarded through civil procedure in recent years.
“No. It’s very unfair,” said Sokola gently. “It is not true.”
During her days on the stand of witnesses, she said that Weinstein had repeatedly proposed to promote her acting ambitions, but then had unwanted physical advances, starting at the age of 16 in 2002.
Weinstein, 73, faces an accusation of sexual assault linked only to his allegation that he forced oral sex on her at the age of 19. He also faces charges based on two other women’s statements. He pleaded not guilty of all the accusations, and his lawyers claim that his accusers had consensual sexual meetings with the Oscar -winning producer because they wanted film and television work.
Weinstein’s lawyers have toasted Sokola about her requests for career help after the alleged assault, her motivations for her civil proceedings and her criminal testimonies, as well as her personal difficulties, and even a private newspaper that she held for a program of alcohol abuse in her native Poland.
After apparently obtaining the ten -year -old writings via the witness’s sister, the defense was authorized to raise parties in which Sokola said that two other men had sexually assaulted it over the years, but had not said the same thing about Weinstein. Instead, she wrote that he had promised her help but did not deliver.
Sokola said on Wednesday that she had left aside the so -called Weinstein sexual abuse because she could not reconcile at the time. In addition, she said, her sponsor was in the cinema in Poland and knew who was Weinstein.
Cibella asked for this explanation, noting that the text only mentioned “Harvey W” and nothing of his profession. Sokola said her sponsor nevertheless knew his identity because they were talking about it.
Tear herself while she was talking, she said that she had not seen the black notebook for 10 years, never gave no one to share it and was amazed and dismayed to be confronted with her in court.
“I felt very raped,” said Sokola, now 39 years old and psychotherapist.
She was the second of Weinstein’s accusers to testify during the new trial, and the only one to have been involved in her first trial in 2020. This procedure led to a condemnation of the Metoo era which was then overthrown, setting up the new trial. The prosecutors decided to add allegations of Sokola.
Another woman, Miriam Haley, already told the jurors of the new trial that Weinstein had forcibly made oral sex in 2006. The third accuser, Jessica Mann, is expected to testify in the coming days or weeks. She alleged that Weinstein raped her in 2013.
The Associated Press generally does not appoint people who allege that they have been sexually assaulted unless they allow identification. Haley, Mann and Sokola did it.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
