Harvey Weinstein ‘s lawyers sought Friday to raise doubts about ex-model Kaja Sokola’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her in her teenagers, portraying her as a wannabe actor who tried to leverage the previous studio boss.
“You believed that if you had consensual sex with Mr. Weinstein, you’d get your foot in the door and become a movie star,” protection lawyer Mike Cibella mentioned.
“No, that’s not what happened,” Sokola responded. “I never had a consensual relation with Mr. Weinstein.”
All through a day of questioning, Cibella sought to recommend that Sokola hadn’t informed the complete story of her interactions with Weinstein. At one level, Cibella repeatedly requested whether or not she invited Weinstein as much as a New York condo — and into the bed room — the place she was staying in 2005. She denied it.
“I didn’t want any shortcuts from Mr. Weinstein. I wanted him to be honest with me,” Sokola testified at a later level, her voice rising heated.
She mentioned the Oscar-winning producer promised to assist her fulfill her performing ambitions however as a substitute “broke my dreams, and he broke my self-esteem.”
The Polish psychotherapist has accused Weinstein of repeatedly sexually abusing her when she was a teenage style mannequin. A few of these allegations are past the authorized time restrict for felony prices, however Weinstein faces a felony sex-act cost over Sokola’s declare that he compelled oral intercourse on her in 2006.
Prosecutors added the cost to the landmark #MeToo case final 12 months, after an appeals courtroom overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction. The responsible verdict pertained to allegations from two different ladies, who even have testified or are anticipated on the retrial.
Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not responsible and denies ever sexually assaulting anybody.
The Polish-born Sokola, 39, had a jet-setting modeling profession as a teen. She testified earlier this week that Weinstein exploited her youthful curiosity in an performing profession to topic her to undesirable sexual advances, beginning days after they met in 2002, whereas she was a 16-year-old on a modeling journey to New York.
She informed jurors that 4 years later, when she was 19, Weinstein lured her to a lodge room by saying he had a script for her to see, then pinned her down on a mattress and carried out oral intercourse on her as she implored him to not.
Sokola by no means bought a full-fledged function in a Weinstein film, although he did organize for her to be an additional in 2007’s “The Nanny Diaries.” Her scene finally bought minimize, she mentioned.
His firm additionally wrote her a suggestion letter to an performing faculty. She mentioned she hadn’t been capable of afford it.
Sokola sued Weinstein a number of years in the past over the alleged 2002 incident, and he or she finally acquired about $3.5 million in compensation. Her fits by no means talked about the alleged 2006 assault. She testified Thursday that she’d had a more durable time coming to phrases with it than she did with the alleged 2002 intercourse abuse.
Cibella underscored the omission, and he instructed that she sued to achieve monetary independence and be capable to go away her now-estranged husband. Quite the opposite, she mentioned, she was working two jobs and outearning him.
Cibella additionally pointed to variations in some particulars of Sokola’s testimony this week and what she informed a grand jury final 12 months, together with the month of the alleged 2002 sexual abuse. The lawyer additional famous that Sokola is pursuing varied authorized pathways to remain within the U.S. long-term, and her involvement within the felony case might assist with one in all them.
Sokola is anticipated to proceed testifying subsequent week.
The Related Press usually doesn’t title individuals who allege they’ve been sexually assaulted, however Sokola has given her permission to be recognized.
By Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak
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