What is Gérard Depardieu accused of? Everything to know as actor appears in Paris court for s*xual assault trial

A s*xual assault trial against Gérard Depardieu has begun as the French actor appeared in court on Monday, March 24.

As reported by BBC, the 76-year-old actor is facing accusations of s*xually assaulting two women on a movie set. According to the charges levied against Depardieu, he allegedly s*xually abused a 54-year-old set designer and a 34-year-old assistant director. The alleged incident happened during the filming of Jean Becker-directed Les Volets Verts 2021.

In April 2023, Mediapart published an article in which 13 women accused Gérard Depardieu of s*xual violence. The investigative report from the French outlet cited testimonies of different alleged victims. Mediapart included the alleged incidents that are said to have happened on the sets of 11 different film sets between 2004 and 2022.

Later that year, Le Figaro published Gérard Depardieu’s open letter, in which he denied all the allegations. The actor wrote (translated from French):

“I have never, ever abused a woman.”

He also wrote,

“To the media court, to the lynching that has been reserved for me, I have only my word to defend myself.”

According to the Guardian, the set dresser contacted the police after Le Figaro published Depardieu’s open letter. The outlet also reported that the 1900 actor had faced accusations from over 20 women.

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Gérard Depardieu’s lawyer denies all accusations as s*xual assault trial begins

After facing a months-long delay owing to the defendant’s health-related concerns, the hearing commenced in Paris on Monday. Before appearing in court, Gérard Depardieu’s lawyer, Jeremie Assous, spoke to the reporters and denied all allegations against his client. He told the press outside court (translated from French by Reuters):

“This trial will allow us to put all the accusations face to face with reality, the witnesses and the layout. In this way, we can show in an impartial, objective and indisputable manner that all the allegations are dishonest.”

He concluded,

“The truth will be clear and the truth is on our side.”

Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, the lawyer of one of the accusers, also spoke to Reuters and compared the trial with the fight of “‎David and Goliath.” She talked about how her client was scared to come forward and said (translated by Reuters),

“There's a fear, because he's a cinema giant. It's a struggle between David and Goliath and they are afraid of retaliation as they all work in cinema but at a much lower level than Depardieu.”

The Cyrano de Bergerac actor was previously accused of s*xual assault and r**e in 2018 by an actress. According to Le Parisien, the 22-year-old alleged that the assault happened at Depardieu’s Parisian home.

Nine months after the investigation, the authorities dropped the case, citing a lack of evidence. The accuser filed the complaint again, and he was subsequently charged with r**e and s*xual assault.

Gérard Depardieu denied the accusations and filed a court appeal to have the charges dropped. His plea was rejected, and the case remained under formal investigation.