Gerard Depardieu Sexual Assault Complaint Dismissed by French Prosecutors
French actress Hélène Darras’ allegation of sexual assault against Gerard Depardieu has been dropped by French prosecutors, according to multiple media reports. The drop occurred because the incident in question happened outside of the statute of limitations.
Darras claimed that Depardieu sexually assaulted her during the filming of 2007’s “Disco.” At the time of the alleged assault, Darras was 26 and an extra on the Fabien Onteniente-directed movie.
When describing the incident, Darras said that Depardieu looked at her like she was “a piece of meat.” She was wearing what she described as “an ultra-tight dress” and Darras said he proceeded to grab her by the waist and run his hand “over my hips, over my butt.”
This dismissed accusation is far from the only one Depardieu is facing. In 2018, Charlotte Arnould filed a lawsuit against the star, which claimed that Depardieu sexually assaulted her twice in his home during rehearsals. Depardieu was charged with rape connected to the incident two years later.
For his part, Depardieu has maintained his innocence and requested that the case be dropped, a plea that was dismissed by Paris Court of Appeal in March of 2023. In the future, the case will either be brought to trial or dismissed.
Then there’s the report of sexual misconduct. A months-long investigation by the French investigative news website MediaPart included testimonies from 13 women who accused Depardieu of sexual misconduct. These women ranged from actresses to make-up artists and production staff who, altogether, worked with the iconic French actor on 11 films that were released between 2004 and 2022.
Many influential figures have rushed to the French actor’s defense including the former First Lady of France and singer-songwriter Carla Bruni and French President Emmanuel Macron. In an open letter published in December of 2023, 56 French stars and producers defended the star. Many who signed were from Depardieu’s generation.
RTL and BFMTV were the first to report this story in France. Variety was the first to report this story in the United States.
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