Roman Polanski fled a civil trial in the 1973 case

Roman Polanski’s civil trial, scheduled to take place in California in August 2025, has been canceled. The case was “settled over the summer to the mutual satisfaction of the parties” and the trial was “officially dismissed,” the Franco-Polish director’s lawyer, Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, wrote, according to Me. AFP:. The facts related to the rape of a minor, which allegedly occurred in 1973. The woman, who went by the pseudonym Robyn and was identified in her June 2023 complaint as Jane Doe, whose identity and age are unknown, went public with her allegations in 2017. Roman Polanski, who was still a teenager, was taken to a restaurant in Los Angeles in 1973. It was there that he forced her to drink tequila and then took her home before killing her.

The 1973 case

“He told her, ‘Please don’t do it,'” the victim’s attorney, Gloria Allred, told reporters in March. She is a figure in the #MeToo movement and is known for representing victims of slain producer Harvey Weinstein. “He claims that he refused his request. She also alleges that Defendant Polanski removed Plaintiff’s clothing and then sexually assaulted her, causing her immense physical and emotional suffering.

The plaintiff filed her complaint just before the closing of a period during which, under California law, a litigant can bring complaints of rape or sexual assault years ago. He then sought damages without a specific amount. At the time of publishing this article, the plaintiff’s attorney has not yet responded to inquiries AFP: and the content of the reached agreement is not known to us.

Runaway on the red carpet

Roman Polanski’s defense has already stated that his client “vehemently disputes any allegations of rape.” But if his trial were to take place, his presence in court would be highly hypothetical. In 1977, the 91-year-old filmmaker fled American justice after being convicted in another case of raping a minor. He was convicted of having “unlawful sexual relations” with Samantha Gailey (now Gamer), who was only 13 at the time. Accused of drugging and raping this teenager, he spent 42 days in prison before being released and fleeing to Paris to face re-imprisonment. He has since been considered a fugitive in the United States. Targeted by the US justice system with international arrest warrants, he has evaded extradition. Samantha Gamer has repeatedly asked for the charges to be dropped.

Roman Polanski, who won a César for best director, three Oscars and a Palme d’Or, has been accused of sexual harassment and rape throughout his career. Accusations that he always disputed and which never stopped him from continuing his career in cinema.