Kaja Sokola spent five demanding days on the witness stand during Harvey Weinstein’s retrial in New York. Her testimony involved two incidents of alleged sexual assault: one in 2002 when she was 16 and another in 2006 at a Tribeca hotel. On June 11, a jury acquitted Weinstein of the charges related to Sokola.
However, for the former Polish model turned psychotherapist, the toughest aspect of Weinstein’s lengthy retrial was not the testimony or verdict.
“The painful part was not the trial — it was the betrayal from my sister,” Sokola expressed to Variety. “I honestly can’t grasp how she could—how anyone could act in such a way.”
During her fourth day of testimony, the defense confronted her with a private journal listing individuals she claimed had assaulted her, which notably did not include Weinstein. This journal, described by Sokola as a “workbook for addiction treatment,” had been provided to the defense by her sister, Ewa.
“Please don’t read that,” she pleaded while on the stand. “These are personal matters.” The defense used this journal to argue that her assault claims were fabricated, despite Sokola stating she had documented Weinstein’s abuse in other journals not presented to the jury.
Regarding her sister’s testimony, Sokola remarked, “My sister attempted many harmful actions toward me in the past, often linked to financial issues, thus our relationship has been far from ideal.” After the trial, Weinstein’s attorney Michael Cibella contended that there were no other journals containing allegations against Weinstein and praised Ewa’s cooperation with their case.
Although Weinstein was acquitted of the charge related to Sokola, he was found guilty of a criminal sexual act in another case. Sokola asserted her desire for accountability for Weinstein’s actions, emphasizing that the trial was about him facing the consequences for his crimes, not about her.
In light of the verdict, Sokola stated, “I want to convey that we won. We won. Their attempts to divide women during the trial failed.” Weinstein now faces a potential 25-year prison sentence based on other charges, while prosecutors are preparing to retry him on the rape allegation.
