Roman Polanski before French justice. On Tuesday 5 March, the French-Polish filmmaker appeared before 5pmAnd section of the Paris Criminal Court for “defamation”.
In an interview given to Paris match in 2019, he described the rape allegations made by actress charlotte lewis as“hateful lies”. If the defamation lawsuit is the legal weapon of choice for men accused of sexual assault, this time it was Roman Polanski’s alleged victim who decided to use it to ” wash [son] honor everything Roman said about [elle] “.
“I didn’t know I was raped”
Roman Polanski, 90, was not present at the hearing, unlike Charlotte Lewis. The British actress, now 56, accused Roman Polanski of having “sexually assaulted”. The alleged events occurred in 1983 during a casting that the director organized at his home. He was 16 years old then.
Charlotte Lewis, who later starred with Roman Polanski in Pirates, returned to the trial on the circumstances of the rape she allegedly suffered. She was then accompanied by a friend, Karen, who would introduce them, and she would be invited to Roman Polanski’s house. “ We went to dinner, came back to the apartment, Karen went to bed and left me alone with Roman. And that’s when she raped me.”she said tearfully at the hearing, she reports Publication.
Under fire from the defense, who asked her in particular why she hadn’t filed a rape complaint sooner, she explained:
“For a long time I didn’t realize I had been raped. I didn’t even know the word rape. I could tell something was wrong, but Roman was my mentor. »
He also explained why he spoke highly of the director of I accuse when the movie came out Pirates in 1986. “I always had someone from the production company accompanying me, I wasn’t going to start insulting Roman Polanski. » “ Then everyone was silent.”recalled his lawyer Me Benjamin Chouai.
The denunciation of a “Polanski system”
If the facts you report are time-barred, this defamation complaint against Roman Polanski is a means of doing so “purify one’s honor” deal with things “Disgusting” what he said about her. According to the actress, the director would have directed a “smear campaign” against the one who failed “destroy your life”. The interview given to Paris match was “the drop that broke the camel’s back”. He stated in particular:
“You see, the first quality of a good liar is an excellent memory. Charlotte Lewis is always mentioned in the list of my accusers without even mentioning her [ses] contradictions. »
Roman Polanski’s lawyer, for his part, contested any defamation, declaring that the filmmaker ” he has the right to defend himself publicly, in the same way as those who accuse him “. Their defense was based in particular on an interview given by Charlotte Lewis to the British tabloid News from the worldin 1999, where he reportedly said: “I wanted to be his lover […] I probably wanted him more than he wanted me. »
According to Charlotte Lewis, this quote does not correspond to her words. “Defaming him, discrediting him, defaming him is an integral part of the Polanski system, this is what Charlotte Lewis denounces with great courage”Benjamin Chouai told me.
After eight hours of debate, the decision was put out for consultation. We will know on May 14th. As remembered Publication this date coincides “per day”with the 14thAnd anniversary of Charlotte Lewis’ rape accusation against Polanski.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
