Roman Polanski did not defame a British actress who accused him of raping her decades ago, a Paris court ruled Tuesday, according to media reports.
The “Chinatown” director was publicly accused by Charlotte Lewis, now 56, who said Polanski raped her during a casting session when she was 16 at his Paris home. He denied any wrongdoing and called her a liar in a 2019 interview.
A panel of French judges on Tuesday did not rule on the validity of her assault claim, but did decide Polanski, now 90, did not overstep his right to free speech by disparaging her account, the New York Times reported.