A Polish model lied that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her starting at age 16 as part of a cash-grab scheme to escape her abusive ex-husband, the former producer’s lawyer suggested in court Friday.
Michael Cibella, a lawyer for the fallen Miramax founder, zeroed in on accuser, Kaja Sokola, 39, in Manhattan Supreme Court at the sex-crimes retrial for Weinstein, 73.
Sokola’s alleged abuse by her husband “gave her motivation to say, ‘I’ve gotta get the money to get out of this abusive relationship,’ ” the lawyer said.
Sokola received $475,000 through a victim compensation fund set up through a bankruptcy proceeding for women allegedly assaulted by Weinstein. She would also later settle with Disney, Miramax and Weinstein’s brother and business partner, Bob Weinstein, for $3 million.
“She’s living in an abusive relationship for four years, and once she gets the money from the Weinstein bankruptcy case, she leaves,” Cibella said, noting Sokola moved to the US just two months after receiving the nearly $500,000 payout.
Early during Cibella’s questioning of Sokola, she also admitted she is currently applying for a “U” visa, which allows victims of a crime to live in the US. Sokola said she also would have the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office backing her immigration push because of her testimony against Weinstein.
Prosecutor Shannon Lucey told the judge the defense’s claims were far-fetched.
“The whole argument is pulling at straws,” Lucey said.
Judge Curtis Farber later told the jury to disregard some of Cibella’s questioning of Sokola, saying it went too far into her personal life with her husband — whom she divorced in late 2020.
Sokola testified over the past three days about how Weinstein allegedly assaulted her three times — the first time when she was a model and aspiring actress at 16 in 2002.
She claimed Weinstein invited her to lunch but instead took her to his SoHo loft, where he touched her vagina and forced her to touch his penis.
Sokola told jurors she remained in contact with Weinstein over the years, hoping he would help her advance her acting career.
Then, in a 2004 car ride with Weinstein, Sokola claimed he groped her breast,s but she rebuffed his sexual advances for the 15-minute ride until she was dropped off at the gym.
Sokola said that when she was 19 in 2006, she met Weinstein at a hotel restaurant with her older cardiologist sister — to whom she wanted to prove that her acting career was thriving.
Weinstein then asked Sokola to his room to look at a script, and he orally raped her, Sokola claimed.
Friday afternoon, Sokola choked up as she told jurors Weinstein broke her heart by ruining her acting aspirations after the alleged assaults and pushing her out of the industry.
“My heart was broken,” Sokola said. “I believed I could do it. I met a person who was on top of the world at the time.”
Weinstein failed to deliver on big promises to boost her career, she testified.
He said he’d get her an on-screen role in a movie with a prominent actress, but instead, she only landed as an extra in a scene from “The Nanny Diaries” that ultimately ended up on the cutting-room floor, she said.
Sokola is expected to continue testifying Tuesday morning.
The movie producer is only charged with the 2006 alleged assault against Sokola and not the two prior alleged incidents.
Sokola is testifying for the first time against Weinstein, unlike other alleged victims in the case who testified at his 2020 trial.
Weinstein’s conviction and 23-year sentence were overturned last year. He has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 25 years if convicted again.
