The China Mail - Depardieu drops lawsuit over report that sped up downfall

Depardieu, whose prolific film and television career includes 1990 comedy "Green Card" and Netflix series "Marseille", is the highest-profile figure caught up in France's response to the #MeToo movement.

The 77-year-old actor's decision to withdraw the lawsuit was announced by his attorney, Delphine Meillet, at the start of a hearing before the Paris Criminal Court.

The court case focuses on a dispute between Depardieu and a television show that in December 2023 aired a report that dented his public image and sparked an uproar in France.

The episode, titled "The Fall of the Ogre", included footage of him repeatedly making sexual comments about women during a trip to North Korea in 2018.

In one section, he appears to make an obscene comment about a young girl riding a horse.

The withdrawal of the lawsuit also applies to France Televisions President Delphine Ernotte-Cunci, the authors of the report, and the production company Hikari.

"France Televisions welcomes this withdrawal, which brings to an end two years of legal proceedings, controversy, and misinformation," the broadcaster said.

"Two expert analyses concluded that the actor had indeed made remarks of a sexual nature toward a young girl and ruled out any fraudulent manipulation of the footage," France Televisions added.

A Paris court last year handed Depardieu an 18-month suspended sentence after convicting him of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021.

The court also ordered that the actor register as a sex offender.

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