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The judge responsible for overseeing a rape complaint brought against filmmaker Luc Besson today dismissed the case following a lengthy investigation. This follows a request made by the Paris public prosecutor’s office in October that the case brought by actress Sand Van Roy be tossed out.

Besson’s attorney, Thierry Marembert, said today, “After three-and-a-half years, and the testimony of many witnesses, the Investigating Judge has dismissed the case and all allegations of criminal rape against Luc Besson. Mr. Besson has been fighting these false allegations for several years, and this dismissal finally and fully exonerates him of all charges brought against him… Now that these false allegations have been completely dismissed, the declaration of innocence by the Investigating Judge and the Public Prosecutor should be respected. Mr. Besson looks forward to continuing to devote himself to his films.”

However, an appeal against the dismissal is expected. Van Roy’s attorney,...

The rape claim against Luc Besson, the French director of “The Fifth Element” and “Lucy,” has been dismissed by a Paris judge following a lengthy judicial investigation.

A source close to the public prosecutor’s office in Paris confirmed to Variety that the case, which stemmed from two police complaints filed in May and July 2018 by Dutch-Belgian actress Sand Van Roy accusing Besson of raping her, has been dismissed. The judicial investigation included hearings with witnesses, including Besson’s former wife, the actor-director Maïwenn, with whom he has a daughter; and his former partner Anne Parillaud, an actor with whom he has two children. It also included expert opinions of the civil party and an interrogation of Besson. The judge took the final decision to dismiss the case based on the prosecutor’s recommendation.

Besson’s lawyer Thierry Marembert said: “After a procedure that lasted three and a half years...

Luc Besson, the French filmmaker behind “Lucy” and “Valerian,” who is accused of rape by Dutch-Belgian actor Sand Van Roy, was made an assisted witness by a French judge on Monday.

The judge assigned the new status following a private, five-hour hearing with Besson as part of an ongoing judicial review into the French filmmaker stemming from a civil complaint for rape filed in Paris by Van Roy in March 2019.

The assisted witness status doesn’t mean Besson has been cleared of charges and that the case has been dismissed by the judge. “It’s an intermediary status that a judge can give if some clues emerged from the investigation that could suggest culpability, but aren’t conclusive enough for an indictment at this time,” a police source told Variety.

Although a new investigation could still be launched by the judge, the assisted witness status seems to indicate that that...

Seven months after the Paris prosecutor dismissed rape allegations against Luc Besson citing a lack of evidence, a French judge has reopened an investigation into claims filed by the French-Belgian actress Sand Van Roy, according to the Afp. The reopening of the investigation by a judge stems from Van Roy’s civil complaint filed in March by her lawyer, Francis Szpiner.

In the complaint, Szpiner said the preliminary investigation conducted between May 2018 to February 2019 by the Paris prosecutor was “rushed and incomplete,” according to French website Mediapart. The judge will now review all the elements of the investigation initially conducted by the prosecutor and can either dismiss it or launch a new investigation.

Besson’s lawyer, Thierry Marembert, told the Afp they are “hopeful the judge who will discover the case will come to the same conclusion as the prosecutor who’s followed the case for more than a year.

A French court has reopened the investigation of rape charges against Luc Besson, following an appeal by the plaintiff, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Belgian-Dutch actress Sand Van Roy had originally filed a complaint in May 2018 accusing the Lucy director of raping her at a Paris hotel. Besson was not questioned until months later, on Oct. 2 and Dec. 11, 2018. Prosecutors had dropped the case in February citing lack of evidence.

The court has now ordered a new investigation to be opened after Van Roy filed a judicial case. Van Roy's lawyer Francis Szpiner first revealed the information to ...

A French court has reopened the investigation of rape charges against Luc Besson, following an appeal by the plaintiff, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Belgian-Dutch actress Sand Van Roy had originally filed a complaint in May 2018 accusing the Lucy director of raping her at a Paris hotel. Besson was not questioned until months later, on Oct. 2 and Dec. 11, 2018. Prosecutors had dropped the case in February citing lack of evidence.

The court has now ordered a new investigation to be opened after Van Roy filed a judicial case. Van Roy's lawyer Francis Szpiner first revealed the information to ...

Accuser’s lawyer plans to file civil complaint.

The public prosecutor’s office in Paris has shelved an investigation into rape accusations against French producer and director Luc Besson due to lack of evidence, it announced on Monday (25).

“Luc Besson has taken note with satisfaction of this decision by the public prosecutor to dismiss the accusations made by Sand Van Roy, which he has always formally denied,” Besson’s lawyer Thierry Marembert wrote in an official statement.

The public prosecutor’s office said its investigation had not been able to prove “the infraction that had been reported”.

Belgian actress Van...