Paris court backs Polanski in defamation case against Lewis
The Court of Appeal in Paris dismissed on Wednesday the appeal of British actress Charlotte Lewis, who accused director Roman Polanski of defamation after he refuted her allegations of sexual assault. The court's decision confirms Polanski's earlier acquittal.
In May of this year, the court in Paris ruled that Polanski's statements to the magazine "Paris Match" did not constitute defamation against Lewis. The director called the actress's accusations a "vile lie." The court found that his words did not violate Lewis’s honour or reputation. The actress appealed this verdict, but the prosecution did not take such a step, making Polanski's acquittal final in criminal terms.
The Court of Appeal still had the option to consider the case in the context of civil law and, on Wednesday, ruled in favour of the director. Charlotte Lewis's lawyer, Benjamin Chouai, expressed dissatisfaction with the court's decision, claiming that it gives Polanski "some kind of licence for media attacks." According to the lawyer, the director can now "defame and discredit" Lewis and other women. Chouai announced that he would consult with his client about possibly filing a cassation.
The case was only about defamation allegations and did not resolve the issue of whether Roman Polanski committed the act described by Charlotte Lewis. The actress first publicly accused the director in 2010, claiming that he assaulted her in his Paris apartment in 1983 when she was 16 years old and auditioning for a role in the film "Pirates."
The court upheld the decision of Polanski's innocence
Polanski denied these accusations, emphasising inconsistencies in Lewis’s statements, who earlier in an interview with the tabloid "News of the World" allegedly expressed a desire to have an affair with him. However, the actress claims her statements were distorted.
In recent years, Roman Polanski has been repeatedly accused of sexual violence by several women, causing controversy in the French film industry. In 2020, the director was removed from the ranks of the general assembly of the French Academy of Cinema, which awards the prestigious César Awards.
Let's recall that Polanski has been pursued by the American justice system since 1978, when he left the USA before the verdict was announced in a case of sexual offence against a minor. The director admitted to intercourse with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer but left the country, fearing unfair treatment by the Los Angeles court.
