Lawsuit alleging Roman Polanski raped teenager settled and dismissed
In the years since Roman Polanski admitted to raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977, he has been accused of sexual assault by various other women, including an anonymous plaintiff who alleges that she was assaulted by the director when she was 16. He was set to face trial in August 2025, but the lawsuit has now been settled and will not be taken any further.
The anonymous woman, who filed the lawsuit under the name Jane Doe, claims that she met Polanski in 1973, and he took her to a restaurant. He then allegedly encouraged her to drink tequila, subsequently taking her back to his home when she was drunk.
The lawsuit states, “Plaintiff remembers waking up in Defendant’s bed with him lying in the bed next to her. He told her that he wanted to have sex with her. Plaintiff, though groggy, told Defendant ‘No.’ She told him, ‘Please don’t do this.’”
Doe claimed that he raped her before driving her home. At a press conference, she revealed that she has decided to pursue the allegation “to obtain justice and accountability.”
Polanski denied the allegation, and now the lawsuit will not be taken to trial next year. According to the director’s lawyer, Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, the issue has been “settled in the summer to the parties’ mutual satisfaction and has now been formally dismissed.” This statement was also echoed by the plaintiff’s lawyer.
The many allegations of abuse against Roman Polanski
Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977 after he was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl named Samantha Gailey. She was photographed by the filmmaker at Jack Nicholson’s house for a Vogue shoot the day before Polanski raped her. He was arrested and served 42 days in prison before fleeing to France, where he now lives.
The filmmaker is still wanted in the United States, although Gailey has since forgiven Polanski and has stayed in contact with him.
Meanwhile, in 2010, an actor named Charlotte Lewis accused Polanski of raping her when she was 16. He denied the allegations, and Lewis has since accused him of defamation. Yet, earlier this year, Polanski was acquitted in regard to the defamation case.
Additionally, Polanski was accused of sexual assault between 2017 and 2019, with three of these women claiming that they were underage when the abuse took place. Polanski has remained adamant that he is not guilty.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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