'Lucy' Director Luc Besson Cleared of Rape Charges in France After 2018 Allegation

A lawyer for the director said the court's decision "puts a definitive end to this procedure initiated in 2018"

Director Luc Besson has officially been cleared of rape charges in France after actress Sand Van Roy accused him of assault in 2018.

On Wednesday, France's Cour de Cassation (the equivalent of the U.S.'s Supreme Court) ruled that "there doesn’t exist, at present, any means to allow for the admission of the appeal," according to court documents obtained by Variety.

The outlet also reported that Van Roy will have to pay 64-year-old Besson €2,500, and she can't sue Besson again in Europe with the same charges.

Besson's attorney Thierry Marembert said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, "This decision confirms the dismissal in favor of Luc Besson and confirms all the decisions of the last five years which have found him not guilty."

"It therefore puts a definitive end to this procedure initiated in 2018, during which Luc Besson was systematically cleared by all the magistrates who examined the case," Marembert added.

"As a lawyer, I welcome this exemplary procedure, which has allowed the manifestation of the truth which is that Luc Besson is innocent," he said.

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A rep for Van Roy reached by PEOPLE had no immediate comment.

Van Roy, who was in Besson's 2017 film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, had alleged she had an affair with the director and that he raped her at a hotel in Paris in May 2018. He denied the accusation at the time.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, prosecutors dropped the case in February 2019 claiming a lack of evidence. Then, the outlet reported, another investigation began in October 2019, and Besson was cleared of the charges by 2021.

Back in October 2019, Besson told BMFTV, according to BBC News, that the allegations were a "complete and utter lie," and said, "I have never raped a woman in my life."

Besson is known for making action movies like Léon: The Professional (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), Lucy (2014) and Anna (2019). His next film, DogMan, is expected to debut later this year.

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