'Horror': Former mode tells jury that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her when she was 16 years old
Warning: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected.
A former model testified in tears Thursday that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her when she was 16, saying it was my most horrible thing yet”.
At the time-aspiring actor Kaja Sokola told jurors during a retrial at Weinstein that the former film honcho put his hand in his underwear and touched his genitals in a Manhattan apartment in 2002.
Sokora said she saw Weinstein's eyes – “Black and Horror” – staring at her as it happened.
Afterwards, she said, he told her to keep silent to tout his career as A-listers like Gwyneth Paltrow and Penelope Cruz, who could help her Hollywood dream come true.
Sokola carved the notes, and Sokola testified, “I never had this like this.” “I felt stupid and ashamed, it was my fault for putting myself in this position.”
Weinstein was not charged with any crime for alleged assault, and Sokora first detailed the crime in the lawsuit a few years ago. The timing is not allowed to be outside the limits of criminal charges.
Sokola testified after Weinstein was accused of forcing oral sex at the Manhattan Hotel four years later on her 20th birthday. Prosecutors said this happened after Weinstein arranged for Socola to be an extra in the movie “The Nanny Diary.”
Sokola reported the charge to authorities within days of Weinstein's first trial in 2020, but was not part of the case. Prosecutors added her to the retrial, joining two women who testified in the first case after being convicted last year.
Weinstein, 73, narrated early charges, lowered his head from Sokola, away from Sokola, and pressed his left thumb and index finger like a shield.
Sokora testified that she first met with the then-studio owner at a Manhattan restaurant in 2002, three to four days before the alleged attack. In a brief chat, she said, Weinstein asked if she wanted to be an actress.
She said that a few days later, he invited her to lunch – ostensibly talking about the show – but took her to an apartment where she took her to the bedroom, then the bathroom, instructed her to take her shirt away and beat her up.
“He told me to take off my clothes, and I didn't want to do that. I was panicked,” Sokora testified. “Then he said, if I want to be an actress, that's what the actors do in the movie, so I should get used to it. If the director says you have to take off your clothes, you have to take off your clothes. I'm scared. I'm scared of him.”
Sokola avoided watching Weinstein testify the day after her growth training in Poland on Wednesday as she walked to the witness stand, how she pursued her career as a psychotherapist and writer, who recently set up a film production company. She briefly stared at Weinstein when asked to point him out in court Thursday.
Weinstein pleaded not guilty and denied sexual assault on anyone.
His attorney argued that his accuser agreed to have a sexual encounter with him in hopes of getting a chance for film and television, with the defense stressing that the woman had been in touch with him for some time after the alleged attack. Meanwhile, the women said the producers at the time used the prospect of showing business work to prey on them.
Sokora is not part of the 2020 trial
Sokola sued Weinstein for whispering in the industry when his behavior towards women became a chorus of public charges in 2017, exacerbating #MeToo's campaign against sexual misconduct. Prosecutors said Sokola ended up receiving $3.5 million in damages.
Prosecutors said they began investigating Sokora's claims in 2020, but put the investigation aside after Weinstein's conviction. They resumed their investigation after the New York Supreme Court reversed his conviction.
Weinstein's attorney failed to shut Sokola out, accusing prosecutors of “smuggling additional charges into cases” in an attempt to enhance the credibility of other accusers.
Another Miriam Haley testified last week that Weinstein forced oral sex in 2006. Jessica Mann, the third plaintiff in the case, is expected to testify later.
The Associated Press does not normally name sexual assault accusers, Hayley, Mann and Sokora, who gave sexual assault.
If you are directly at risk or concerned about your own safety or the safety of others around you, call 911. For support in your area, you can find it through The In Crisis Lines and local services Ending the Violence Association of Canada Database.
