Roman Polanski threatens lawsuit against motion picture academy over expulsion

LA Times ^ | May 8, 2018 | Josh Rottenberg

[EdnaMode]

Just days after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to expel Roman Polanski from its ranks, the director's attorney sent a letter to the organization Tuesday morning, arguing the move was unlawful and threatening to take legal action if Polanski is not granted a hearing.

In his letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, Polanski's attorney, Harland Braun, said the academy had failed to follow both its own rules and California law in denying the Oscar-winning director a chance to present his own case. "We are not here contesting the merits of the expulsion decision, but rather your organization's blatant disregard of its own Standards of Conduct in, as well as its violations of the standards required by California Corporations Code," Braun wrote.

The academy's board of governors, which includes such industry heavyweights as Tom Hanks, Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg, voted last week to expel the Oscar-winning filmmaker, along with disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, in accordance with new standards of conduct adopted by the group in response to the sexual harassment scandals that have rocked the industry since the fall.

Polanski, who has earned five Oscar nominations for his work on such films as "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby," pleaded guilty in 1977 to unlawful sex with a minor, then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer. Since fleeing the country, he has been living in exile in Europe for the past four decades and is considered a fugitive by the U.S. criminal justice system. Cosby was convicted of three counts of sexual assault April 26.

[Jmouse007]

That said, his film “The Pianist” is magnificent and his film rendition of Oliver is also outstanding. Too bad the guy is such a schmuck.

[Borges]

Polanski turns 85 today.