The Harvey Weinstein #MeToo retrial has begun, giving a new jury the chance to revisit familiar allegations of sexual assault and rape, as well as a new claim from a former model.
For the first time, prosecutors publicly mentioned Kaja Sokola's name and detailed events that took place between her and the Oscar-winning film producer in the early 2000s.
He faces criminal charges of forcing her to perform oral sex in 2006, but she has also filed a civil lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted her against her will four years earlier, when she was 16.
Like the other two accusers in the case, Ms. Sokola describes complex relationships and reactions: she was sexually assaulted but remained in touch with him, fearful of Weinstein but eager to maintain a good relationship with a powerful man who promised her an acting career.
“Why did the defendant have this level of power and influence in the eyes of these three women? … Because Harvey Weinstein was the one who dictated this situation,” prosecutor Shannon Lucey told jurors in her opening statement.
“He knew how tempting his promises of success were.
“He produced, choreographed and therefore controlled their silence for many years.”
Weinstein pleaded not guilty, and defense attorney Arthur Aidala responded by portraying the accusers as willing participants in show business, acting on a quid pro quo basis.
“A casting couch is not a crime scene,” Mr. Aidala told the mostly female jury.
He compared the prosecutors' charges to the announcement of a film that “fails miserably.”
Weinstein, 73, who sits in a wheelchair because of health problems, did not look at Ms. Lucy or the jury as she spoke before Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and others in the packed courtroom.
But Weinstein watched closely as Mr. Aidala laid out his defense.
The retrial comes after the New York Supreme Court overturned Weinstein's previous conviction last year, marking a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement against sexual violence in 2020.
The High Court ruled that the previous trial judge had admitted prejudicial evidence relating to allegations unrelated to the charges.
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