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Roman Polanski has been on the run from US authorities since 1978
Photo: Charles Platiau / REUTERS
The French-Polish director Roman Polanski (90) is again confronted with allegations of raping minors.
In California, an unnamed woman has filed a civil lawsuit against the global star.
Polanski drugged and raped the then-minor girl in his home in Los Angeles in 1973, said the plaintiff's lawyer, Gloria Allred, at a press conference.
A judge has scheduled August 2025 as the trial date, the lawyer said.
Polanski had his lawyers reject the allegations.
"Mr. Polanski firmly rejects the allegations in the lawsuit and he believes that the court is the right place to hear this case," said a statement from his lawyer Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, which was available to the German Press Agency.
The plaintiff claims that she met Polanski at a party in 1973 and accepted an invitation to dinner a few months later.
The director therefore knew that she was underage.
He gave her tequila to drink in his house and in a restaurant.
She felt sick.
She remembers waking up in his bed and defending herself against his sexual assaults.
She clearly said no, but Polanski ignored this.
The lawsuit alleges rape, sexual assault and infliction of emotional distress.
In a civil case, the defendant does not have to appear in court, Allred said.
In such lawsuits with claims for damages, an out-of-court settlement is often reached instead of a trial.
The director has been on the run from US authorities since 1978 after being charged with sex with a minor.
At the time, Polanski admitted to having illicit sex with a 13-year-old but denied rape.
He fled the USA when a guilty verdict and a prison sentence became apparent.
Polanski never traveled to the United States again.
lpz/dpa