Kaja Sokola, the new accuser in Harvey Weinstein‘s New York trial, began her testimony Wednesday at the former Hollywood producer’s retrial in Manhattan.
The ex-model, who was an aspiring actor when she met Weinstein, is the second accuser to take the stand, following last week’s testimony from former TV production assistant Miriam Haley. Kaja Sokola told the courtroom about her life before meeting Weinstein, including her upbringing in Wroclaw, Poland.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kaja Sokola’s older sister, cardiologist Ewa Sokola, testified about a 2006 lunch meeting the two had with Weinstein at a Manhattan hotel. Ewa Sokola recalled that at one point, Kaja Sokola and Weinstein took an elevator upstairs together while she remained at the table, waiting for 30 minutes to an hour. Kaja Sokola eventually came back down alone, but instead of returning to the table, Kaja left the hotel with Ewa Sokola.
Ewa Sokola noted that her sister appeared to be under “extreme tension” after returning from her time alone with Weinstein, though the two continued their day as if it were a “regular day.” She added that she couldn’t recall whether Kaja Sokola was holding anything, such as a script, and did not notice any torn clothing, including ripped stockings.
When asked by the defense during cross-examination whether Kaja Sokola had said anything negative about Weinstein before 2017, Ewa Sokola responded no. “She was proud of knowing him,” she told the courtroom.
Ewa Sokola also testified that her younger sister never told her about the alleged assault by Weinstein, and that she first learned of it from a magazine article published in 2022. “I was shocked,” she said of her reaction to discovering Kaja Sokola’s accusations.
In September of last year, Weinstein was indicted on an additional sex crimes charge after the then-unidentified Kaja Sokola accused Weinstein of performing oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel on one occasion between April 29, 2006 and May 6, 2006. Kaja Sokola did not testify at Weinstein’s 2020 trial and wasn’t publicly identified until opening statements in late April.
Kaja Sokola’s attorney, Lindsay Goldbrum, said in a statement on Wednesday, “Today, Kaja Sokola took the stand to share her truth — standing not just as a survivor but as an accomplished psychotherapist and psychologist. Nearly two decades ago, Kaja was a teenager, vulnerable to the power and influence of Harvey Weinstein, a wealthy 54-year-old Hollywood mogul. As you will hear from Kaja, he made sure she understood his control over her future, telling her he had the power to make or break careers. Now, she faces him in open court, reclaiming her voice and her story.”
Kaja Sokola previously filed a civil complaint in 2019 against Weinstein related to an incident in 2002, where she claimed that, when she was 16 years old, Weinstein bullied her into allowing him to fondle her and made her touch his penis. That allegation was first filed in 2018, when she was part of a class-action lawsuit and identified as Jane Doe. Although the class action plaintiffs agreed to settle their suit against Weinstein, Sokola said in a statement at the time that the terms were unjust.
Weinstein is charged with two counts of committing a “criminal sexual act” in the first degree and one count of third-degree rape, following accusations by Sokola, Haley and actor Jessica Mann.
From Variety US