Woman Files New Lawsuit Against Harvey Weinstein & Disney, Claims Movie Mogul Sexually Assaulted Her At Age 16
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A woman has come forward, claiming she was yet another victim of disgraced Hollywood producer and rape suspect Harvey Weinstein.
In a new lawsuit filed on Thursday, Kaja Sokol says she was sexually assaulted in 2002 when she was 16 years-old – coming to the U.S. from Poland to pursue a modeling and acting career.
Sokol and her lawyers say the new suit was filed under New York's Child Victims Act after Weinstein's accuser says she refused to be part of a multi-million-dollar settlement reportedly agreed on by other alleged victims.
The New York Times reported Weinstein and the board of his bankrupt film studio reached a tentative $25 million agreement with dozens of his alleged accusers.
If approved, more than 30 actresses and former Weinstein employees who accused the movie mogul of sexual misconduct would share in the payout.
"I originally filed my case under a pseudonym as part of a class action against Harvey Weinstein, his companies, and associates. But I cannot accept the proposed 'global settlement' as fair or just," Sokol said in a statement Thursday.
"There is no accountability for the perpetrators, insufficient compensation for all of the victims, and millions of dollars going to people that I believe enabled Weinstein."
The new suit also names Robert Weinstein, Miramax, and Disney as the alleged rapist's enablers.
Sokol's attorneys say her case is the only known suit against Weinstein that were brought under the Child Victims Act and the only one with claims against Disney as well.
"While others may have decided to settle, albeit under some of the most offensive and one-sided terms, we hope that the filing of this complaint encourages other victims and the New York Attorney General to join us as we continue our efforts at holding Harvey Weinstein and his enablers accountable," attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer said in the statement.
Sokol says after the assault, she gave up her dream of an acting career and has since become a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist.
