A Santa Monica judge has set a trial date in a civil case alleging that director Roman Polanski raped a child in the 1970s, years before he was arrested for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl in a separate lawsuit.
Attorney Gloria Allred confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday that Polanski's trial has been scheduled for August 2025. The case was submitted to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in June last year.
Polanski To Face Trial in 2025
Polanski has been a fugitive from the US for decades since fleeing the country to avoid punishment after admitting to the 1977 rape of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer. The director has been accused of sexual abuse on several occasions.
The Los Angeles trial comes as Polanski is on trial in France for allegedly slandering a British actor who accused him of assaulting her.
In this case, Polanski is charged with sexual rape and intentionally causing great emotional distress about an alleged 1973 event. The filmmaker was not named in the case until July, while the plaintiff remains anonymous as Jane Doe.
On Tuesday, Allred made an appearance with Jane Doe, who accused Polanski of raping her in 1973 when she was a minor. According to Allred, Polanski invited her to dinner months after they had met at a party.
He allegedly knew she was a minor but still brought her to his Los Angeles home and gave her drinks all night.
Allred said that he allegedly informed the teen he wanted to have sex with her when she woke up in his bed.
"Plaintiff, though groggy, told defendant, 'No.' She told him, 'Please don't do this.' She alleges he ignored her pleas," Allred said. "She also alleges that defendant Polanski removed plaintiff's clothes and he proceeded to sexually assault her, causing her tremendous physical and emotional pain and suffering."
Furthermore, Allred stated that when Polanski dropped her off at home, she never saw him again. The lawyer claimed that despite multiple accusations against him, Polanski has gone back to living his life normally, but his accuser has not been able to return to business as usual since her victimization.
She said that even though the criminal justice system in California had failed to yield a just outcome, her client had demonstrated enormous courage in filing her lawsuit against a famous director who previously pled guilty to a sex crime against a minor and then fled to Europe to avoid sentencing.
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Polanski's Victims Speak Out
Doe, who originally came out with charges against Polanski in 2017, filed a lawsuit last year under a change in California law that grants victims of child sex abuse more time to file lawsuits against their abusers.
She said it took her a long time to file this suit against Polanski, but she finally decided to file it to obtain justice and accountability.
Between 2017 and 2019, four women, three of whom were allegedly minors at the time, came forward to accuse Polanski of sexually abusing them in the 1970s. Among them was artist Marianne Barnard, who said Polanski had raped her when she was 10.
British actor Charlotte Lewis also claimed in 2010 that she was sexually assaulted by Polanski in 1983 when she was 16.
Polanski has denied all of the accusations.
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