Roman Polanski Files for 30-Year-Old Sex Charges To Be Dismissed

Posted by on December 3rd, 2008   Filed under: Gossip, Industry News
Source: Variety

A couple of days ago I happened to catch part of some TV show that was counting down the top Hollywood scandals of all time. Of course, right near the top of that list was Roman Polanski and his alleged rape of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer, which lead to him living in France for some 30 years in order to avoid serving time in the U.S. He continued to make movies, and over the years, it seems that many people have forgiven him for what he has done (he received a standing ovation at the Academy Awards in 2004 for The Pianist, despite his absence). Even Geimer herself has requested that the charges be dropped. Now Polanski has officially filed a complaint with the Los Angeles Superior Court to have the charges of sexual misconduct dismissed once and for all.

Apparently this has come about partly in response to the recent documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, which revealed potentially unlawful and unethical conduct on the part of deputy district attorney David Wells at the time. A hearing has been set for Jan. 21st, at which point it’s possible that Polanski will no longer be considered a fugitive. I have yet to see the aforementioned documentary, but this is clearly a tricky issue. Polanski himself did plead guilty to the charges at the time, but on the other hand, there’s no question that he’s had a pretty messed up life. Not only is he a Holocaust survivor, but his wife Sharon Tate was murdered by members of Charles Manson’s cult. People make mistakes and people change, and yet, he never did serve any time for what he did. What do you think, does Polanski deserve to finally have his name cleared, or is this just another example of a double standard for the rich and famous?



  • I only saw part of that documentary (but who knows what the facts are anyway)…

    If the victim actually does want the charges dropped then why not?

  • pedohater

    13 is 13 who cares what the chick says now. He needs to serve his time or stay away.

  • Ian

    It’s a great lesson for the kids … just run away and eventually everything will work out. Maybe he can petition for clemancy from Bush or wait a few years and get it from Obama.

  • “double standard for the rich and famous?”

    I think there should be a double standard for the talented. Plenty of males commit statutory rape. Let him in if he wants in.

  • rus

    “he never did serve any time for what he did” — he did serve some time but at the heart of Polanski’s reasoning for fleeing is the fact the DA wouldn’t commit to a deferred sentence and time served in jail before final sentencing. Roman fled because he felt he was being made an example of. Its all in the doc., which is worth watching. It tries to relate the time period and explain how the public’s view of Polanski was a sex crazed European that makes disturbing movies like Rosemary’s Baby. The only thing I didn’t like about the doc. is it tries to flavor your view of the DA by talking about his country club drinking and marriage problems – it seems the filmmakers want to use this gossip to make Roman not look like the only sinner, whatever.