NEW YORK – Kaja Sokola, a former model and one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers, began her testimony Wednesday in Weinstein’s retrial in Manhattan. She is the second accuser to take the stand in the case, following former TV production assistant Miriam Haley.
Sokola told the jury about her early life, including her childhood in Wroclaw, Poland, before she met Weinstein. At the time of their meeting, she was an aspiring actress.
Earlier that day, Sokola’s older sister, Dr. Ewa Sokola, also testified. She described a lunch meeting with Weinstein at a Manhattan hotel in 2006. According to her account, Weinstein and Kaja went upstairs in an elevator while she stayed at the table alone. About 30 to 60 minutes later, Kaja returned by herself and left the hotel with her sister. Dr. Sokola said Kaja appeared tense afterward, but they went on with their day as normal.
During cross-examination, Weinstein’s defense asked whether Kaja had said anything negative about him before 2017. Dr. Sokola replied no, stating that her sister was “proud of knowing him.” She also testified that she never heard about any alleged assault until a 2022 magazine article revealed the claims. “I was shocked,” she told the court.
Prosecutors allege that Weinstein forced oral sex on Kaja Sokola at a Manhattan hotel between April 29 and May 6, 2006. Weinstein was indicted on the charge in September 2023. Sokola did not testify during his 2020 trial and was publicly identified for the first time in opening statements of this retrial.
Sokola’s attorney, Lindsay Goldbrum, issued a statement Wednesday. “Today, Kaja Sokola took the stand to share her truth — standing not just as a survivor but as an accomplished psychotherapist and psychologist,” the statement read. “Nearly two decades ago, Kaja was a teenager, vulnerable to the power and influence of Harvey Weinstein… Now, she faces him in open court, reclaiming her voice and her story.”
Sokola had previously filed a civil lawsuit in 2019, alleging that Weinstein sexually assaulted her in 2002 when she was 16. At the time, she was part of a class-action case under the name Jane Doe. She later rejected a settlement, calling the terms unfair.
Weinstein faces two counts of committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree and one count of third-degree rape. The charges stem from allegations by Sokola, Haley, and actress Jessica Mann.
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