Gérard Depardieu Sexual Assault Case Dropped in France Due to Statute of Limitations

Actress Hélène Darras accused Depardieu of sexually assaulting her on the set of the 2008 French film "Disco"

A sexual assault complaint filed against Gérard Depardieu has been dismissed, according to multiple reports.

In the complaint, actress Hélène Darras alleged that Depardieu, 75, sexually assaulted her on the set of the 2008 French film Disco. Darras went public with her claims in December as part of the investigative news series Complément d'Enquête. The complaint was dismissed due to the statute of limitations, according to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

Although he did not mention names, Depardieu opened up about the sexual assault allegations made against him in an open letter in the French outlet Le Figaro published in October, expressing he has "never, ever abused a woman," per Deadline.

"I can no longer allow what I hear, what I have read about myself for several months. I thought I didn't care, but no, actually no. This all gets to me. Worse still, it wipes me out," he wrote, per the outlet.

A spokesman from the Paris Prosecutor's Office told Variety that Darras "had decided to file a distinct complaint after being auditioned as a witness during the ongoing investigation stemming from the lawsuit by Charlotte Arnould." Depardieu was charged with raping Arnould back in 2018. His lawyer said at the time that the actor “absolutely denies any attack, any rape.”

Related: Second Actress Files Sexual Assault Charges Against Gerard Depardieu: Reports

The case was closed in 2019 due to lack of evidence. After it was reopened in the summer of 2020, the actor was again charged with rape and sexual assault, which he again denied. He has not been convicted, per the outlet.

Darras was also one of 13 women who accused Depardieu of separate incidents of sexual harassment or assault in an investigative report from Mediapart in April 2023. French authorities told Variety that "there are no other women, to this day, whose testimonies as part of this investigation has given new elements to the judge." PEOPLE has reached out to the Paris Prosecutor's Office for comment.

In her interview with Complément d'Enquête and reported on by Deadline, Darras recalled being 26 when working with Depardieu and remembered him being "unmanageable."

Related: Gérard Depardieu Says He's 'Innocent' After Being Charged with Rape: 'There Is No Proof'

"He looked at me as if I were a piece of meat. I was wearing a very tight dress [as her costume]. He came up to me and then passed his hand over my hips and buttocks," Darras said in the interview, per Deadline. The actress said she previously failed to report the incident out of fear.

"I was an extra and hadn't even finished theatre school. I wanted to be an actress and didn't want to be blacklisted at 26," she said, per the outlet.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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