Weinstein accuser rips defense lawyer: 'You should be ashamed of yourself'

NEW YORK – A erstwhile exemplary reproached 1 of Harvey Weinstein ’s lawyers for suggesting that her intersexual maltreatment allegations against the ex-studio brag are lies.

“You should beryllium ashamed of yourself,” Kaja Sokola retorted. In her 5th and last time of grounds astatine Weinstein's enactment crimes retrial, she maintained that she was telling the information and that Weinstein's alleged behaviour successful her teens had changed the people of her life.

“It changed the people of your beingness successful that you got $3.5 cardinal from mendacious accusations?” defence lawyer Mike Cibella pressed, referring to compensation she was awarded done civilian proceedings successful caller years.

“No. That’s precise unfair," Sokola said softly. “That’s not true.”

During her days connected the witnesser stand, she said Weinstein repeatedly offered to foster her acting ambitions but past made unwanted carnal advances, opening when she was 16 successful 2002.

Weinstein, 73, faces a intersexual battle complaint related solely to her allegation that helium forced oral enactment connected her erstwhile she was 19. He besides faces charges based connected 2 different women's claims. He has pleaded not blameworthy to each the charges, and his attorneys assert that his accusers had consensual intersexual encounters with the Oscar-winning shaper due to the fact that they wanted movie and TV work.

Weinstein's lawyers grilled Sokola astir her requests for vocation assistance from him aft the alleged assault, her motives for her civilian lawsuits and transgression proceedings testimony, arsenic good arsenic her idiosyncratic struggles, and adjacent a backstage diary she kept for an alcohol-abuse programme successful her autochthonal Poland.

After seemingly getting the decade-old writings via the witness' sister, the defence was allowed to bring up portions successful which Sokola said 2 different men had sexually assaulted her implicit the years but didn't accidental the aforesaid astir Weinstein. Instead, she wrote that helium promised her assistance but didn't deliver.

Sokola testified Wednesday that she had near retired Weinstein's alleged intersexual maltreatment partially due to the fact that she couldn't travel to presumption with it astatine the time. Also, she said, her sponsor was successful the movie concern successful Poland and knew who Weinstein was.

Cibella questioned that explanation, noting that the substance mentioned lone “Harvey W” and thing astir his profession. Sokola said her sponsor nevertheless knew his individuality due to the fact that they talked astir it.

Tearing up arsenic she spoke, she said she hadn’t seen the achromatic notebook for 10 years, ne'er gave anyone support to stock it and was stunned and appalled to beryllium confronted with it successful court.

“I felt precise violated,” said Sokola, present 39 and a psychotherapist.

She was the 2nd of Weinstein's accusers to attest astatine the retrial, and the lone 1 who wasn't progressive successful his archetypal proceedings successful 2020. That proceeding led to a landmark #MeToo-era conviction that was subsequently overturned, mounting up the retrial. Prosecutors decided to adhd Sokola's allegations to it.

Another woman, Miriam Haley, already has told jurors astatine the retrial that Weinstein forcibly performed oral enactment connected her successful 2006. The 3rd accuser, Jessica Mann, is expected to attest successful the coming days oregon weeks. She alleges that Weinstein raped her successful 2013.

The Associated Press mostly does not sanction radical who allege they person been sexually assaulted unless they springiness support to beryllium identified. Haley, Mann and Sokola person done so.

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