Latest news with #Sokola
Mint
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Harvey Weinsteins sexual assault case moves toward conclusion as key testimony looms
Washington [US], May 30 (ANI): Former filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, currently facing charges of rape and sexual assault, is reportedly "seriously contemplating" testifying in his ongoing trial. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the decision comes as his defence team carefully evaluated the pros and cons of putting the former film producer on the stand as the case approaches its final stages. Weinstein's attorney, Arthur Aidala, confirmed the uncertainty surrounding this choice and said, "We're going to make a game time, more or less, decision," as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. Aidala emphasised that the decision to testify is ultimately in the hands of the defendant himself, and revealed that one of his legal partners had spent Memorial Day weekend preparing Weinstein for the possibility. "Weinstein is considering the emotional and strategic aspects of a 'he-said, she-said' case," Aidala said, adding, "There is a part of him that is seriously contemplating whether human beings feel obligated to hear the other side of the story." Weinstein's decision to testify comes in the wake of a recent interview, in which he asserted his innocence, further fueling media attention surrounding the trial. As per The Hollywood Reporter, this trial marks a new chapter for Weinstein, who had previously chosen not to testify during his 2020 trial in New York or his California case on similar charges. Weinstein, who has remained present throughout the proceedings, is being retried on charges related to allegations from three women. The most notable of these claims come from former production assistant Miriam Haley, who alleges that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in his Manhattan apartment in 2006, and aspiring actress Jessica Mann, who claims she was raped by Weinstein in a Manhattan hotel in 2013. These allegations were central to Weinstein's original conviction in 2020, which was later overturned in April 2024. In addition to these charges, Weinstein is facing new accusations from a third woman, Kaja Sokola, who alleges that he forcibly performed oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel in 2006. All three women have taken the stand over the past few weeks, providing testimony that the defence team has fiercely contested, as per The Hollywood Reporter. As the trial continued, the prosecution rested its case on Wednesday, having called a series of witnesses to testify about the encounters between Weinstein and the women involved. Weinstein's defence team began its case shortly after, calling upon medical professionals to discuss erectile dysfunction medications and their relevance to the accusations. On Thursday, the defence team brought in Helga Rose Samuelson, a former roommate of Kaja Sokola, to question the nature of the relationship between Sokola and Weinstein. Samuelson claimed that Weinstein had visited their apartment in 2005 and entered a bedroom with Sokola. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Sokola denied this encounter when she testified. The defence has also considered calling conservative pundit Candace Owens as a witness, citing potential communications between Owens and Jessica Mann regarding whether Mann viewed her encounter with Weinstein as rape. However, this line of questioning was swiftly struck from the record, with the judge instructing the jury to disregard it as having "no factual basis," as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. Despite the potential for additional witnesses, Aidala has clarified that they do not expect to call Owens to testify, given her recent childbirth and the lack of significant evidence to justify her appearance in court. As the defence continues to present its case, the question of whether Weinstein will testify remains one of the most significant decisions in the trial. According to The Hollywood Reporter, if Weinstein ultimately chooses not to take the stand, closing arguments are expected to take place on Tuesday, signalling the nearing conclusion of the high-profile case. In a final twist, Weinstein's legal team has issued subpoenas for attorney Gloria Allred, who represents Miriam Haley, but Aidala noted that they have not pursued the subpoena aggressively. (ANI)
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
Harvey Weinstein weighs whether to testify in sex crimes retrial
His lawyers have spent last weekend and recent evenings talking through the pros and cons with him, and the discussions were ongoing Thursday evening AP New York After five weeks of testimony from Harvey Weinstein's accusers and other prosecution witnesses at his sex crimes retrial, his defence has started presenting its own witnesses. But it's unclear whether the ex-studio boss himself will be one of them. Weinstein is due to decide in the coming days whether to testify. His lawyers have spent last weekend and recent evenings talking through the pros and cons with him, and the discussions were ongoing Thursday evening. There's no easy answer, attorney Arthur Aidala said outside court. If Weinstein does take the stand, it would be a remarkable twist -- and a potentially risky legal move -- in the yearslong saga of the onetime Hollywood honcho-turned-#MeToo outcast. Weinstein, 73, is being retried on rape and sexual assault charges because New York's highest court overturned his 2020 conviction. He denies the allegations, and his attorneys maintain that anything that happened between him and his accusers was consensual. Weinstein didn't testify at his first trial, nor at a separate rape trial in Los Angeles, where he was convicted and has appealed the verdict. Many defendants in US criminal cases don't take the stand: The Constitution guarantees that they don't have to, and jurors are told they can't hold such silence against the accused. Plus, testifying opens a defendant up to pointed questioning from the prosecutors. Weinstein has been watching the New York retrial intently from the defence table, sometimes shaking his head at accusers' testimony and often leaning over to one or another of his attorneys to convey his thoughts. He thinks that the evidence in this trial has been challenged very forcefully and that many of the complainants' stories have been torn apart," Aidala said on Thursday. But there is a part of him that is seriously contemplating whether -- in a he-said, she-said case -- human beings feel obligated to hear the other side of the story", the attorney added. Weinstein's lawyers began calling witnesses late Wednesday, starting with a physician-pharmacist discussing a medication that had come up in testimony. Jurors on Thursday heard from Helga Samuelsen, who shared a New York apartment in fall 2005 with Kaja Sokola, one of Weinstein's accusers. Sokola alleges that Weinstein forced oral sex on her the following year, after a series of unwanted advances that began when she was a 16-year-old fashion model in 2002. Sokola told jurors weeks ago that she never spent time with Weinstein in the apartment where she and Samuelsen stayed. But Samuelsen testified on Thursday that one evening the doorbell rang, Sokola answered it and there was Weinstein. Samuelsen recalled that he and Sokola went into a bedroom, closed the door and emerged about a half-hour later, when Sokola saw Weinstein out. Samuelsen said she never spoke to Sokola about the visit. I think I kind of chose to not, really, said Samuelsen, who was then a photographer's assistant. Having met Weinstein briefly in summer 2005, she later sought his help as she tried to launch a music career. He made some introductions and invited her to write a never-used movie score, Samuelsen said, and she formed a New York-area cabaret act around 2019 with a woman close to him. Samuelsen now works in insurance in her native Denmark. During the prosecution's phase of the trial, Weinstein's lawyers asked plenty of questions aimed at raising doubts about the credibility and accuracy of what the jurors were hearing from the prosecution witnesses, particularly Weinstein's three accusers in the case: Sokola, Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann. All three women were trying to build careers in show business and say he preyed on them by dangling work prospects. Mann alleges he raped her in 2013. Haley, like Sokola, accuses Weinstein of forcibly performing oral sex on her in 2006. The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Sokola, Mann and Haley have given their permission to be identified. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein still deciding whether he'll testify in NYC sex assault retrial
Harvey Weinstein is still on the fence about whether he'll take the stand in his own defense in his Manhattan sex assault retrial, his lawyer said Thursday. As Weinstein's Manhattan Supreme Court trial inches to a close, the former Hollywood producer will have to make his decision before the defense rests its case in the coming days. 'It's usually, but not always, the most difficult defense decision to make,' defense lawyer Arthur Aidala said. 'We're gonna make a game time, more or less, decision.' Aidala said the defense team spent the Memorial Day weekend with Weinstein, who's being held in Bellevue Hospital, to discuss whether he'll testify. 'He thinks that the evidence at this trial has been challenged very forcefully and many of [the accusers'] stories have been torn apart,' Aidala said. Still, he said, 'There is a part of him that is seriously contemplating whether in a he-said-she-said case, human beings feel obligated to hear the other side of the story. … There's no easy answer.' The trial has featured testimony from three accusers — one-time actress Jessica Mann, former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, and Polish model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola. Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 Manhattan Supreme Court trial, which ended in a guilty verdict and a 23-year prison term. The state's highest court overturned the jury's guilty verdict in that case last year, ruling 4-3 that the trial court judge shouldn't have allowed testimony of 'uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes.' On Thursday, the defense called Helga Samuelsen, who was Sokola's roommate in fall 2005. Sokola testified that when she was a 16-year-old model, Weinstein rubbed her vagina under her pants and underwear in 2002, and two years later, he grabbed her breast in a limo. In 2006, she alleged, he forcibly performed oral sex on her in the Tribeca Grand hotel, while her sister waited at a restaurant table downstairs. Samuelsen testified that Weinstein visited Sokola's apartment in 2005, and Sokola led her to a bedroom, where they stayed behind closed doors for about a half-hour. Prosecutors tried to cast doubt on Samuelsen's credibility, pointing out that she sent a text to Sokola saying she felt 'forced' to sign an affidavit for the defense, and bringing up her connections and friendships in Weinstein's circle. With News Wire Services
The Advertiser
15-05-2025
- The Advertiser
'You should be ashamed': Weinstein accuser slams lawyer
A former model has reproached one of Harvey Weinstein 's lawyers for suggesting that her sexual abuse allegations against the former studio boss are lies. "You should be ashamed of yourself," Kaja Sokola retorted. In her fifth and final day of testimony on Wednesday at Weinstein's sex crimes retrial, she maintained that she was telling the truth and that Weinstein's alleged conduct in her teens had changed the course of her life. "It changed the course of your life in that you got $US3.5 million ($A5.4 million) from false accusations?" defence lawyer Mike Cibella pressed, referring to compensation she was awarded through civil proceedings in recent years. "No. That's very unfair," Sokola said softly. "That's not true." During her days on the witness stand, she said Weinstein repeatedly offered to foster her acting ambitions but then made unwanted physical advances, beginning when she was 16 in 2002. Weinstein, 73, faces a sexual assault charge related solely to her allegation that he forced oral sex on her when she was 19. He also faces charges based on two other women's claims. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and his lawyers assert that his accusers had consensual sexual encounters with the Oscar-winning producer because they wanted movie and TV work. Weinstein's lawyers grilled Sokola about her requests for career help from him after the alleged assault, her motives for her civil lawsuits and criminal trial testimony, as well as her personal struggles, and even a private journal she kept for an alcohol-abuse program in her native Poland. After apparently getting the decade-old writings via the witness' sister, the defence was allowed to bring up portions in which Sokola said two other men had sexually assaulted her over the years but didn't say the same about Weinstein. Instead, she wrote that he promised her help but didn't deliver. Sokola testified on Wednesday that she had left out Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse partly because she couldn't come to terms with it at the time. Also, she said, her sponsor was in the film business in Poland and knew who Weinstein was. Cibella questioned that explanation, noting the text mentioned only "Harvey W" and nothing about his profession. Sokola said her sponsor nonetheless knew his identity because they talked about it. Tearing up as she spoke, she said she hadn't seen the black notebook for 10 years, never gave anyone permission to share it and was stunned and appalled to be confronted with it in court. "I felt very violated," said Sokola, now 39 and a psychotherapist. She was the second of Weinstein's accusers to testify at the retrial, and the only one who wasn't involved in his first trial in 2020. That proceeding led to a landmark #MeToo-era conviction that was subsequently overturned, setting up the retrial. Prosecutors decided to add Sokola's allegations to it. Another woman, Miriam Haley, already has told jurors at the retrial that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. The third accuser, Jessica Mann, is expected to testify in the coming days or weeks. She alleges that Weinstein raped her in 2013. A former model has reproached one of Harvey Weinstein 's lawyers for suggesting that her sexual abuse allegations against the former studio boss are lies. "You should be ashamed of yourself," Kaja Sokola retorted. In her fifth and final day of testimony on Wednesday at Weinstein's sex crimes retrial, she maintained that she was telling the truth and that Weinstein's alleged conduct in her teens had changed the course of her life. "It changed the course of your life in that you got $US3.5 million ($A5.4 million) from false accusations?" defence lawyer Mike Cibella pressed, referring to compensation she was awarded through civil proceedings in recent years. "No. That's very unfair," Sokola said softly. "That's not true." During her days on the witness stand, she said Weinstein repeatedly offered to foster her acting ambitions but then made unwanted physical advances, beginning when she was 16 in 2002. Weinstein, 73, faces a sexual assault charge related solely to her allegation that he forced oral sex on her when she was 19. He also faces charges based on two other women's claims. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and his lawyers assert that his accusers had consensual sexual encounters with the Oscar-winning producer because they wanted movie and TV work. Weinstein's lawyers grilled Sokola about her requests for career help from him after the alleged assault, her motives for her civil lawsuits and criminal trial testimony, as well as her personal struggles, and even a private journal she kept for an alcohol-abuse program in her native Poland. After apparently getting the decade-old writings via the witness' sister, the defence was allowed to bring up portions in which Sokola said two other men had sexually assaulted her over the years but didn't say the same about Weinstein. Instead, she wrote that he promised her help but didn't deliver. Sokola testified on Wednesday that she had left out Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse partly because she couldn't come to terms with it at the time. Also, she said, her sponsor was in the film business in Poland and knew who Weinstein was. Cibella questioned that explanation, noting the text mentioned only "Harvey W" and nothing about his profession. Sokola said her sponsor nonetheless knew his identity because they talked about it. Tearing up as she spoke, she said she hadn't seen the black notebook for 10 years, never gave anyone permission to share it and was stunned and appalled to be confronted with it in court. "I felt very violated," said Sokola, now 39 and a psychotherapist. She was the second of Weinstein's accusers to testify at the retrial, and the only one who wasn't involved in his first trial in 2020. That proceeding led to a landmark #MeToo-era conviction that was subsequently overturned, setting up the retrial. Prosecutors decided to add Sokola's allegations to it. Another woman, Miriam Haley, already has told jurors at the retrial that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. The third accuser, Jessica Mann, is expected to testify in the coming days or weeks. She alleges that Weinstein raped her in 2013. A former model has reproached one of Harvey Weinstein 's lawyers for suggesting that her sexual abuse allegations against the former studio boss are lies. "You should be ashamed of yourself," Kaja Sokola retorted. In her fifth and final day of testimony on Wednesday at Weinstein's sex crimes retrial, she maintained that she was telling the truth and that Weinstein's alleged conduct in her teens had changed the course of her life. "It changed the course of your life in that you got $US3.5 million ($A5.4 million) from false accusations?" defence lawyer Mike Cibella pressed, referring to compensation she was awarded through civil proceedings in recent years. "No. That's very unfair," Sokola said softly. "That's not true." During her days on the witness stand, she said Weinstein repeatedly offered to foster her acting ambitions but then made unwanted physical advances, beginning when she was 16 in 2002. Weinstein, 73, faces a sexual assault charge related solely to her allegation that he forced oral sex on her when she was 19. He also faces charges based on two other women's claims. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and his lawyers assert that his accusers had consensual sexual encounters with the Oscar-winning producer because they wanted movie and TV work. Weinstein's lawyers grilled Sokola about her requests for career help from him after the alleged assault, her motives for her civil lawsuits and criminal trial testimony, as well as her personal struggles, and even a private journal she kept for an alcohol-abuse program in her native Poland. After apparently getting the decade-old writings via the witness' sister, the defence was allowed to bring up portions in which Sokola said two other men had sexually assaulted her over the years but didn't say the same about Weinstein. Instead, she wrote that he promised her help but didn't deliver. Sokola testified on Wednesday that she had left out Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse partly because she couldn't come to terms with it at the time. Also, she said, her sponsor was in the film business in Poland and knew who Weinstein was. Cibella questioned that explanation, noting the text mentioned only "Harvey W" and nothing about his profession. Sokola said her sponsor nonetheless knew his identity because they talked about it. Tearing up as she spoke, she said she hadn't seen the black notebook for 10 years, never gave anyone permission to share it and was stunned and appalled to be confronted with it in court. "I felt very violated," said Sokola, now 39 and a psychotherapist. She was the second of Weinstein's accusers to testify at the retrial, and the only one who wasn't involved in his first trial in 2020. That proceeding led to a landmark #MeToo-era conviction that was subsequently overturned, setting up the retrial. Prosecutors decided to add Sokola's allegations to it. Another woman, Miriam Haley, already has told jurors at the retrial that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. The third accuser, Jessica Mann, is expected to testify in the coming days or weeks. She alleges that Weinstein raped her in 2013. A former model has reproached one of Harvey Weinstein 's lawyers for suggesting that her sexual abuse allegations against the former studio boss are lies. "You should be ashamed of yourself," Kaja Sokola retorted. In her fifth and final day of testimony on Wednesday at Weinstein's sex crimes retrial, she maintained that she was telling the truth and that Weinstein's alleged conduct in her teens had changed the course of her life. "It changed the course of your life in that you got $US3.5 million ($A5.4 million) from false accusations?" defence lawyer Mike Cibella pressed, referring to compensation she was awarded through civil proceedings in recent years. "No. That's very unfair," Sokola said softly. "That's not true." During her days on the witness stand, she said Weinstein repeatedly offered to foster her acting ambitions but then made unwanted physical advances, beginning when she was 16 in 2002. Weinstein, 73, faces a sexual assault charge related solely to her allegation that he forced oral sex on her when she was 19. He also faces charges based on two other women's claims. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and his lawyers assert that his accusers had consensual sexual encounters with the Oscar-winning producer because they wanted movie and TV work. Weinstein's lawyers grilled Sokola about her requests for career help from him after the alleged assault, her motives for her civil lawsuits and criminal trial testimony, as well as her personal struggles, and even a private journal she kept for an alcohol-abuse program in her native Poland. After apparently getting the decade-old writings via the witness' sister, the defence was allowed to bring up portions in which Sokola said two other men had sexually assaulted her over the years but didn't say the same about Weinstein. Instead, she wrote that he promised her help but didn't deliver. Sokola testified on Wednesday that she had left out Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse partly because she couldn't come to terms with it at the time. Also, she said, her sponsor was in the film business in Poland and knew who Weinstein was. Cibella questioned that explanation, noting the text mentioned only "Harvey W" and nothing about his profession. Sokola said her sponsor nonetheless knew his identity because they talked about it. Tearing up as she spoke, she said she hadn't seen the black notebook for 10 years, never gave anyone permission to share it and was stunned and appalled to be confronted with it in court. "I felt very violated," said Sokola, now 39 and a psychotherapist. She was the second of Weinstein's accusers to testify at the retrial, and the only one who wasn't involved in his first trial in 2020. That proceeding led to a landmark #MeToo-era conviction that was subsequently overturned, setting up the retrial. Prosecutors decided to add Sokola's allegations to it. Another woman, Miriam Haley, already has told jurors at the retrial that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. The third accuser, Jessica Mann, is expected to testify in the coming days or weeks. She alleges that Weinstein raped her in 2013.
The Journal
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Harvey Weinstein accuser says his defence lawyer 'should be ashamed of yourself'
A FORMER MODEL has hit out at one of Harvey Weinstein's lawyers for suggesting that her sexual abuse allegations against the ex-studio boss are lies. 'You should be ashamed of yourself,' Kaja Sokola retorted. In her fifth and final day of testimony at Weinstein's sex crimes retrial, she maintained that she was telling the truth and that Weinstein's alleged conduct in her teens had changed the course of her life. 'It changed the course of your life in that you got $3.5 million from false accusations?' defence lawyer Mike Cibella pressed, referring to compensation she was awarded through civil proceedings in recent years. 'No. That's very unfair,' Ms Sokola said softly. 'That's not true.' Kaja Sokola arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court. PA PA During her days on the witness stand, she said Weinstein repeatedly offered to foster her acting ambitions but then made unwanted physical advances, beginning when she was 16 in 2002. Weinstein, 73, faces a sexual assault charge related solely to her allegation that he forced oral sex on her when she was 19. He also faces charges based on two other women's claims. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and his attorneys assert that his accusers had consensual sexual encounters with the Oscar-winning producer because they wanted movie and TV work. Advertisement Weinstein's lawyers grilled Ms Sokola about her requests for career help from him after the alleged assault, her motives for her civil lawsuits and criminal trial testimony, as well as her personal struggles, and even a private journal she kept for an alcohol-abuse programme in her native Poland. After apparently getting the decade-old writings via the witness' sister, the defence was allowed to bring up portions in which Ms Sokola said two other men had sexually assaulted her over the years but did not say the same about Weinstein. Instead, she wrote that he promised her help but did not deliver. Ms Sokola testified on Wednesday that she had left out Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse partly because she could not come to terms with it at the time. Also, she said, her sponsor was in the film business in Poland and knew who Weinstein was. Mr Cibella questioned that explanation, noting that the text mentioned only 'Harvey W' and nothing about his profession. Ms Sokola said her sponsor nonetheless knew his identity because they talked about it. Tearing up as she spoke, she said she had not seen the black notebook for 10 years, never gave anyone permission to share it and was stunned and appalled to be confronted with it in court. 'I felt very violated,' said Ms Sokola, now 39 and a psychotherapist. She was the second of Weinstein's accusers to testify at the retrial, and the only one who wasn't involved in his first trial in 2020. That proceeding led to a landmark #MeToo-era conviction that was subsequently overturned, setting up the retrial. Prosecutors decided to add Ms Sokola's allegations to it. Another woman, Miriam Haley, already has told jurors at the retrial that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. The third accuser, Jessica Mann, is expected to testify in the coming days or weeks. She alleges that Weinstein raped her in 2013.
