Roman Polanski Settles Civil Case Over Alleged Sexual Assault
French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski, who gained notoriety for fleeing the United States in the late 1970s after admitting to the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl, has reached a settlement regarding a civil case concerning an alleged sexual assault of another minor. As a result, he will no longer face trial, which had been scheduled for August 2025.
The case, which was set to be heard in civil court in Los Angeles, revolved around accusations stemming from an incident in 1973. The lawsuit was filed in June 2023 and identified the alleged victim only as Jane Doe. According to the claims, Polanski took the then-teenager to dinner at a restaurant in Los Angeles. It is alleged that he provided her with tequila, and when she started to feel disoriented, he drove her to his residence, where he reportedly forced himself on her.
Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, Polanski’s attorney in the United States, confirmed to AFP that the case had been “settled in the summer to the parties’ mutual satisfaction and has now been formally dismissed.” This resolution brings a significant chapter in Polanski’s controversial history to a close.
The Oscar-winning director, now aged 91, has faced numerous allegations of sexual assault and rape from a dozen women throughout his career, all of which he has consistently denied. Despite these accusations, he has continued to work in the film industry. Notably, Polanski pleaded guilty to the statutory rape of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in a plea bargain in 1977 to avoid a trial on more severe charges. Following this, he fled to France the next year after serving just 42 days in jail. An international arrest warrant was subsequently issued by US authorities, but he has never been extradited.
Geimer has repeatedly requested the charges against Polanski to be dropped over the years and has even come to his defense on several occasions. In a related incident, in May 2024, a French court acquitted Polanski of defaming British actress Charlotte Lewis, who had accused him of raping her during an audition at his Paris home in 1983 when she was just 16 years old.
