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Judge Rejects Roman Polanski's Plea

A judge has rejected a bid from the attorneys of director Roman Polanski to have his case heard outside of Los Angeles. Polanski's attorneys stated that there is no way that L.A. county judges could be fair when hearing Polanski's case. He seeks to have decades-old rape charges against him dismissed and fears a bias. Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza stated that the county has 600 judges and that only in extremely rare instances would it be impossible to find a judge qualified and unbiased enough to preside. Espinoza's ruling cannot be appealed.

Espinoza himself will hear the case on January 21. However, the district attorney's office has stated that if Polanski does not plan to attend the hearing, it should be canceled. The director would be promptly arrested if he returns to the country, as he is a fugitive.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
01.12.09