Gerard Depardieu’s trial for sexual assault has been officially postponed until March 2025.
Depardieu did not attend today’s (October 28) hearing at a Paris criminal court after his lawyer Jérémie Assous requested a six-month delay shortly before the trial was due to kick off at 1:30pm local time.
Assous justified the demand with medical certificates, claiming the actor suffers from diabetes and heart issues and that the stress of a trial would potentially exacerbate the symptoms. The court agreed to postpone and ordered a medical expert to look into the actor’s health “to assess the conditions under which the defendant may appear in court”.
The trial is due to resume on March 24 and 25, 2025.
The 75-year-old French actor is being tried for the sexual assault of two women during the 2021 film shoot for Jean Becker’s The Green Shutters (Les Volets Verts), one a set designer and the other an assistant director. Lawyers for his accusers agreed to the new date, saying their clients want to hear Depardieu’s explanations for his actions in a courtroom.
If he is found guilty, Depardieu could face a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a €75,000 fine. He is also facing various other charges in separate cases.
Even though the actor did not show up, dozens of protestors gathered in front of the courthouse to show support for France’s #MeToo movement and victims of sexual violence.
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