The 77-year-old actor was ordered to stand trial before a departmental criminal court in August 2025, a decision his defense is now seeking to block through a request for a dismissal.
The case dates back to the summer of 2018, when Charlotte Arnould, then 22 years old, alleged that Depardieu raped her at his Paris residence after she visited upon his invitation. Arnould filed an initial complaint in August 2018 in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. Following an initial dismissal by the Paris public prosecutor’s office in June 2019 for insufficient characterization of an infraction, Arnould filed a new complaint with civil party constitution. This prompted the appointment of an investigative judge in the summer of 2020, who formally placed Depardieu under formal investigation on December 16, 2020.
Defense Strategy and Prosecution Position
During Thursday’s closed-door hearing before the chambre de l’instruction, Depardieu’s newly appointed lawyers argue that no charges can legally be sustained against the actor, according to sources close to the case. The defense strategy aims to challenge Arnould’s credibility by pointing to inconsistencies in her statements across the multi-year procedure and questioning elements of her background. In the alternative, if the court denies the dismissal request, the defense has asked for a supplementary information phase, including a psychiatric evaluation of the complainant.
Meanwhile, the general prosecutor’s office is asking the court to confirm the indictment and maintain the referral to the criminal court, aligning with the conclusions of the examining magistrate. Throughout the investigation, Depardieu has maintained that his relations with Arnould were entirely consensual.
Evidence and Surveillance Footage
The investigating magistrate’s indictment order emphasized the consistent and precise nature of Charlotte Arnould’s statements from her initial complaint through the subsequent investigation. According to judicial documents cited by Agence France-Presse, the magistrate noted that Arnould’s timeline and statements were corroborated by closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from Depardieu’s home. Conversely, the magistrate characterized the actor’s statements during the inquiry as fluctuating.
Carine Durrieu Diebolt, the lawyer representing Charlotte Arnould, criticized the defense approach. “In the continuity of Gérard Depardieu’s previous lawyer, his new counsel perpetuates the denigration of the victim as a defense strategy,” Durrieu Diebolt told AFP. She noted that all magistrates examining the case over the past six years have confirmed the indictments based on substantiated elements, including the surveillance video. “We trust the justice system to finally have a trial. It is time, after eight years of procedure!” she added.
Broader Legal Context and Next Steps
This appeal arrives as Depardieu faces separate legal challenges tied to allegations of workplace sexual misconduct. In May 2025, the Paris correctional tribunal convicted Depardieu in a separate case of sexually assaulting two women on the set of the film Les Volets verts in 2021, handing down an 18-month suspended prison sentence. He is scheduled to be tried on appeal for that specific case from November 16 to November 20.
The Paris Court of Appeal did not issue an immediate ruling following Thursday’s hearing. The decision regarding the request for dismissal in the Charlotte Arnould case has been placed under deliberation and will be delivered at a later date.
Worth a look