British actress Charlotte Lewis has come forward to say legendary filmmaker Roman Polanski, 76, sexually abused her over 25 years ago, when she was only 16.
This was four years after he fled the U.S. to avoid sentencing on charges that he unlawfully had sex with a minor (statutory rape), a legal fight he is still waging.
Lewis, who co-starred with Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child, was front and center at (of course) a Gloria Allred news conference yesterday to tell her story.
Lewis and Allred met with L.A. County Deputy D.A. David Walgren this week to make the allegations, which coincide with decades-old efforts to sentence Polanski.
It is unclear if Lewis' claims will be used for the extradition or sentencing case involving Roman Polanski, who fled the U.S. in 1977 after bedding a 13-year-old.
As a French citizen, Polanski has avoided being extradited to the U.S. for decades. He is under house arrest in Switzerland after finally being taken into custody last year.
The law of consent in France is 15, but Allred says that's irrelevant to the allegations made by Charlotte Lewis. So will Polanski ever face the music for either incident?
Polanski's legal team said in a statement:
"We don't have any information about statements at a Gloria Allred press conference today, but we do know the D.A. continues to refuse to provide the Swiss government accurate and complete information relevant to the extradition issue."
Polanski earned Oscar nominations for Best Director for Rosemary's Baby, Tess and The Pianist, winning for the latter. His most recent film is this year's The Ghost Writer.
