- Thursday, April 24, 2025
By: Vibhuti Pathak
Nearly five years after he was first convicted, disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein returned to a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday (23), facing a retrial on rape and sexual assault charges. This time, the proceedings include a new voice: a woman who alleges Weinstein sexually assaulted her as a teenager.
Weinstein, now 73 and appearing in a wheelchair, is being retried after New York’s highest court overturned his 2020 conviction. That ruling cited procedural errors, including the inclusion of testimonies from women whose allegations were not directly tied to the criminal charges. The previous trial ended with a 23-year prison sentence for Weinstein, once considered one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers.
The courtroom fell into an uneasy silence as Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Shannon Lucey began the prosecution’s opening statement. She outlined disturbing claims from three accusers, including new testimony from Kaja Sokola, a former actress and model who had previously remained unnamed in court proceedings.
According to Lucey, Sokola first encountered Weinstein in 2002, shortly after moving to New York from Poland at the age of 16. The two maintained what Sokola believed to be a professional connection until 2006, when she says the Hollywood producer invited her to his hotel room under the pretense of reviewing scripts. Once inside, she alleges, Weinstein forced oral sex on her.
For Sokola, this isn’t her first time sharing the story. In 2019, she filed a civil lawsuit detailing similar allegations and later secured a $3 million settlement. However, Wednesday marked her first time testifying as a named accuser in a criminal trial. Lucey recounted Sokola’s harrowing statement, recalling Weinstein’s words following the alleged assault: “See, that wasn’t so bad.”
Sokola joins Miriam Haley, a former “Project Runway” assistant, and actress Jessica Mann, both of whom testified against Weinstein in the original 2020 trial. Haley maintains that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006, while Mann says he raped her in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.
Weinstein’s defense team, led by attorney Arthur Aidala, wasted no time in attacking the credibility of the accusers. In his opening remarks, Aidala characterized the women’s accusations as lies motivated by financial gain. “There will be four million reasons to lie,” he told jurors, referencing the alleged payouts received in previous settlements. He insisted that the interactions were “mutually beneficial” and consensual.
Outside the courthouse, Weinstein’s other attorney, Imran Ansari, reiterated his client’s denial of all allegations and expressed hope for what he called a “fair trial this time.”
Weinstein’s legal team has also cited health concerns. Just last week, he was transferred from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital, citing declining physical condition and claiming that the jail had inhumane conditions. At the time of writing, he remains under medical supervision.
This retrial is just one chapter in Weinstein’s broader legal battle. In California, he’s appealing a 2022 rape conviction, which carries a 16-year prison sentence. Despite these mounting charges, Weinstein continues to deny all accusations.
Over 80 women have come forward with allegations against Weinstein over the years, among them well-known figures like Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, and Gwyneth Paltrow. For many, this retrial is a second chance at justice in one of the most high-profile sexual assault cases of the #MeToo era.
The case continues to unfold, but one thing is clear — the court’s decision will reverberate far beyond the walls of the Manhattan courtroom.
