Roman Polanski to face civil trial in US over alleged 1973 rape / Photo: Loic Venance - AFP/File
-
Kenya's economy faces climate change risks: World Bank
-
Profits surge at US oil giant amid Iran war supply shock
-
Fornaro Legal Releases Guidance to Help Businesses Maintain Clear Ownership Records During Growth
-
Stock markets rally on tech rebound
-
Japan probe made closest-ever asteroid flyby: space agency
-
France, Spain assess scorched terrain as new wildfires threaten other regions
-
British oil giant BP aims to sell North Sea business
-
Chipmaker Kioxia reports AI-driven 45-fold surge in quarterly net profit
-
China factory activity slides as leaders seek spending boost
-
Far right and far left battle for power in polarised Berlin
-
Tech rebound fuels record-breaking rally in South Korean stocks
-
The last trio: S.Africa's zoo elephants await their fate
-
Cables and cooling bring AI windfall to Indian suppliers
-
Oil industry sees war windfall but girds for political blowback
-
Anthropic's models gained unauthorized 'real-world' access during testing
-
Amazon beats expectations with cloud and AI growth
-
Apple tops estimates in CEO Cook's final quarter, but shares fall
-
Blowout Microsoft results lift US stocks as oil retreats
-
Milei demands expulsion of foreigners expressing 'hate' against Argentina
-
'Beginning of the end': Relief but no party as French wildfire winds down
-
Italy's Po River valley on drought alert
-
Southern Europe 'becoming more flammable' in hotter climate, experts say
-
Prada profits pinched as growth hard to chase
-
Mammoth bones found on parched bed of Danube in Bulgaria
-
Stocks climb on earnings and rates, oil retreats
-
MEXC Lists Grvt (GRVT) with $60,000 Worth of GRVT and 10,000 USDT in Airdrop+ Rewards
-
US economic growth slows in second quarter, missing expectations
-
George and Amal Clooney flee French home due to wildfire
-
Russia adds Telegram founder Durov to 'terrorist' blacklist
-
MEXC Ventures Supports Alpha Arena's APAC Debut at Coinfest Bali
-
Stocks diverge on earnings, as oil steadies
-
AI data centre supplier Zhongji InnoLight slips on Hong Kong debut
-
Eurozone economy grows despite Middle East war
-
May, June heatwaves caused 2,877 extra deaths in England: govt
-
Singapore group will develop 'most promising' Ebola vaccine
-
BMW profit down a third as carmaker plans job cuts
-
Shell profit surges as Mideast war fuels oil prices
-
Seoul extends losses as most Asian markets drop, oil rises again
-
Car maker Stellantis says back in profit in second quarter
-
Gambling.com Group Is Now Grandstand
-
Samsung quarterly operating profit up 1,800% on AI boom
-
Meet the astronomer digging into the Milky Way's 'fossils'
-
South Korean stocks bounce after rout, oil holds gains on Mideast woes
-
AI data centre supplier Zhongji InnoLight falls on Hong Kong debut
-
South Korea's women web sleuths fight AI deepfake porn
-
Samsung operating profit up 1,800% in second quarter on AI boom
-
Anything but programmable: New cost-efficient EC-power-supply-series for the DIN rail by CAMTEC PS
-
Japanese population below 120 million for first time in decades
-
Meta misses profit expectations, sticks to massive AI spending
-
US actor Jared Leto denies latest accusations of sexual assault
Roman Polanski to face civil trial in US over alleged 1973 rape
French-Polish director Roman Polanski, who fled the US more than four decades ago after being convicted of sexually assaulting a child, will face a civil trial over the alleged rape of another minor years earlier, the woman's lawyer said Tuesday.
The case against the director of "The Pianist" will be heard in Los Angeles in August 2025, said Gloria Allred, a Hollywood lawyer who has represented victims of rapist Harvey Weinstein and others who emerged in the #MeToo era.
While Polanski cannot be forced to attend the trial, said Allred, the civil hearing will be a chance for her client, named in the suit as Jane Doe, to seek justice for the alleged attack in 1973.
The suit, filed last year, claims Polanski took the then-teenager to dinner in 1973 at a restaurant in Los Angeles.
He allegedly gave her tequila, and when she began to feel dizzy, drove her to his home in the tony Benedict Canyon, where he forced himself on her.
"She told him: 'please don't do this,'" Allred told reporters.
"She alleges that he ignored her pleas. She also alleges that defendant Polanski removed plaintiff's clothes and he proceeded to sexually assault her, causing her tremendous physical, emotional pain and suffering."
The woman, whose age was not given, first came forward with allegations against Polanski in 2017, at which time she was identified as "Robin."
The civil suit, which seeks unspecified damages, was filed in June 2023, just before the expiration of a California law that allowed for an extended window for claims against the alleged perpetrators of sexual crimes.
Oscar-winner Polanski, now 90, is a divisive figure, with some in the movie world hailing his creative genius, while others insist he was always a sexual predator.
In the late 1970s, Polanski fled the US while awaiting sentencing for the assault of Samantha Geimer, a 13-year-old whom he drugged and raped.
Geimer has subsequently defended Polanski, and was photographed with him last year.
Polanski, who also directed "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown," currently faces a defamation trial in France by British actress Charlotte Lewis, who claims he assaulted her in 1983, when she was 16.
The director has always denied wrongdoing.
D.Goldberg--CPN