Overview

• Kaja Sokola testified this week, recounting alleged sexual assaults by Harvey Weinstein when she was 16 and 19 years old, describing the incidents as deeply traumatic.
• Weinstein's defense team began cross-examining Sokola, focusing on inconsistencies in her testimony and questioning her motivations, including financial settlements and immigration-related benefits.
• Sokola alleged that Weinstein exploited her aspirations for an acting career, using promises of Hollywood success to coerce her into silence or compliance.
• The retrial follows the overturning of Weinstein's 2020 conviction by New York's highest court, with Sokola's accusations added to the current case as new evidence.
• Weinstein, who denies all allegations, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on charges related to the 2006 incident, while testimonies from other accusers are expected in the coming weeks.