NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein ‘s attorneys sought Friday to boost doubts a couple of former mannequin’s allegations that he repeatedly sexually assaulted her when she was a teen.
As protection lawyer Mike Cibella started what’s more likely to be prolonged questioning of Kaja Sokola, he pointed to variations in some particulars of her testimony this week and what she informed a grand jury final yr.
Cibella additionally famous that though paperwork have indicated that Weinstein and Sokola knew one another by 2006, no witnesses or paperwork corroborate her account of assembly the then-influential film producer 4 years earlier at a Manhattan nightclub. She was 16 on the time and alleges he first sexually assaulted her days after they met.
Sokola is the second of three accusers to testify at Weinstein’s rape and sexual assault retrial, and he or she’s the one one who wasn’t a part of the onetime Hollywood honcho’s first trial in 2020.
Weinstein is being retried as a result of an appeals court docket overturned his landmark #MeToo 2020 conviction, saying the decide on the time allowed prejudicial testimony. After the reversal, prosecutors added Sokola’s allegation to the case.
Weinstein has pleaded not responsible and denies ever sexually assaulting anybody.
The Polish-born Sokola, 39, is a psychotherapist who 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 on a modeling journey to New York.
One other alleged incident, in 2006, is the idea for a felony intercourse act cost towards Weinstein. Sokola, who was 19 on the time, says he 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.
The Related Press typically doesn’t identify individuals who allege they’ve been sexually assaulted, however Haley, Mann and Sokola have given their permission to be recognized.
