News

Roman Polanski Wants Case Moved From Los Angeles

Lawyers for long-beleaguered and exiled director Roman Polanski want his decades-old case moved from Los Angeles courts in order to give their client a fair shake. Polanski's attorneys filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court this week, citing the reasons that the LA court should not hear the case. A hearing was scheduled for January 21, in hopes of having Polanski's lingering sexual misconduct case dismissed due to judicial misconduct during the original proceedings. Polanski has been a fugitive from the United States for over 30 years now, having fled the country after pleading guilty and being convicted of having sex with an underage girl. Polanski has lived abroad in Europe ever since and continues to make films.

The courts have ruled that Polanski would have to appear on U.S. soil for his hearing, which would cause him to be automatically put in jail due to his fugitive status. The director's lawyers claim that the court expressed "predetermination" on the issue and that Polanski and his legal team did not know that he would have to personally appear in court for the hearing. Polanski's main interest is having his name cleared in the United States, and it is not believed that he wants to reside in the U.S. again. Prosecutors claim that Polanski's motion should be denied and that his claims of misconduct should not be heard in court unless he is there to stand by them.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
01.07.09