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French film star Gerard Despardou is found guilty of sexually assaulting two women while filming the 2021 film and will serve an 18-month suspended prison sentence.
He was also fined 29,040 euros and the court requested that he be registered in the French National Sex Offenders database.
Depardieu, 76, was convicted of groping two female employees, a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant, while filming for Les Volets Vers.
The dresser on the set said Despardieu grabbed her by the hips and locked her between her legs in a narrow hallway before groping for the rest of her body, including her breasts. She also said he used indecency to ask her to touch his penis, suggesting he wanted to rape her.
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She told the court that the actor's gentle and supportive attitude during trial did not resemble his behavior at work.
Other defendants said Depardou had explored her ass and breasts on three separate occasions.
The incident was widely viewed as a post-metou movement test of how French society and its film industry handle allegations of sexual misconduct involving famous individuals.
Depardieu, who denied the charges, did not attend the hearing in Paris. His lawyer said the actor would appeal the decision.
Following his conviction, Set Dresser's lawyer Carine Durrieu Diebolt said, “It's a victory for two women, but a victory for all women beyond this trial.”
French actor Gerard Despardieu will be seen leaving the Paris Court of Justice on March 24, 2025. Depardou was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women while filming the 2021 film.
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“Today, we want to see the end of the immunity of artists in the film world,” she continued. “I don't think this decision will allow him to say he is not a sexual abuser, and when the Cannes Film Festival begins today, I want to save the idea of Gerald Depardou's victims in the world of cinema,” she concluded.
Depardieu told the court that he has made more than 250 films throughout his illustrious career, driving him to the pinnacle of French cinema. In 1991 he was nominated for an Oscar for his performance at Cyrano de Bergerac as the lead of the same name.
In recent years, the actor has been accused of fraud by more than 20 women, but only cases of sexual assault have appeared in court. Several other cases have been removed due to lack of evidence and restrictions laws.
At a four-day trial in March, Depardieu denied the charges, saying, “That's not the case.”
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Nevertheless, he admitted to using vulgar and sexual language on the film set, and grabbing the set dresser's waist during discussion. He denied that his actions were sexual.
The three-person review board of the court decided that Depardieu's explanation was “unmoving” and “unreliable”, highlighting both “continuous, repeated, and demonstrated declarations” of both accusers.
The court also said Depardieu's defense team adopted a “active” defense strategy, deeming comments before the court caused more harm to the plaintiffs and thus justified the higher fines.
Depardieu's lawyer Jérémie Assous said the court regretted that he “thought it was an additional attack to question the charges,” adding that this type of defense “is no longer accepted even in trials of this type.”
– Use files from Associated Press
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