Harvey Weinsteins lawyers confront Polish model with decade-old diary in emotional showdown during NYC sex-crimes retrial

Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers stunned the courtroom Tuesday when they produced a decade-old personal diary belonging to accuser Kaja Sokola – a dramatic reveal that sparked an emotional showdown over the unexpected piece of evidence. The diary, which Sokola confirmed was in her handwriting, contained references to individuals who sexually abused her, defense attorney Michael Cibella told prosecutors and Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber just before jurors were brought in for Weinstein’s ongoing sex-crimes retrial.While the personal journal includes detailed entries about “rape” and “forced sex,” the only reference to the 73-year-old disgraced Hollywood producer was a single line stating he had “promised to help with her career, and nothing came of it,” Cibella said.Sokola, who accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her when she was 16, appeared visibly distressed when her diary was introduced during her testimony. The former teen model told the court it was a private Alcoholics Anonymous recovery journal she believed was kept in Poland – and was baffled over how the defense had obtained it. “This is very inappropriate,” Sokola, a 39-year-old psychotherapist, told the court, wearing a tan dress and blue blazer, and clutching a neon pink stress ball. “I’m a psychologist.I would never do this to my patient, and I will not do this to myself.”Prosecutors had not previously seen the diary – filled with “gratitude lists” and written primarily in Polish – which Weinstein’s defense claimed dated back to 2015. Despite her objection, Farber ruled that while Sokola’s privacy would be respected, the defense would be allowed to ask limited questions regarding the structure and timing of the journal entries. “There are names of people… This is privacy,” a rattled Sokola told the judge. The introduction of the diary came during an aggressive cross-examination where Weinstein’s defense aimed to challenge Sokola’s...