The long legal saga of Roman Polanski took another — and discouraging, for the director — turn on Friday, as a judge shot down Polanski’s bid to have the case against him stemming from a 1977 sexual assault dismissed.
In the order, handed down Friday, Judge Scott M. Gordon called out Polanski’s “continued refusal to obey court orders” and “ad hominem attacks” on judicial officers involved with the case.
“The Defendant in this matter stands as a fugitive and refuses to comply with court orders . As eloquently described by [victim] Ms. Geimer, his conduct continues to harm her and compounds the trauma of the sexual assault committed against her that gave rise to this case,” the order reads.
Gordon continued, “The defendant continues to stand in a position that is at the core of the fugitive disentitlement doctrine. The only thing that has changed in the posture of this case is that the defendant, through counsel, has extended his ad hominem attacks to each judicial officer assigned to the matter and those attacks by counsel become more inappropriate with each subsequent pleading filed by the Defendant. Such conduct is not the basis for the relief requested by the Defendant. ”
“The Defendant’s request for a dismissal of the case, juxtaposed with his continued refusal to obey court orders, is a fundamental issue in this case,” Gordon noted at one point in the ruling.
“The Defendant’s renewed request to dismiss … is also DENIED,” he concluded in Friday’s order.
The Best Director Oscar-winner of “The Pianist” was indicted in 1977 on five charges, including “rape by use of drugs” and “furnishing a controlled substance to a minor,” after having sex with then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer, who had been brought over to his house for a photo shoot.
Polanski later reached a deal, pleading guilty to the lesser charge of “unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.” As a condition of the deal, he was required to serve 90 days in state prison while undergoing psychiatric evaluation. He was released after only 42 days, but soon after fled the United States when it emerged that the presiding judge was considering a stiffer penalty.
In April, Polanski’s request to a judge, which would have allowed Polanski to return to the United States without serving any additional jail time, was shot down by the court.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.