Gérard Depardieu Found Guilty of Sexual Assault

The French movie star Gérard Depardieu was convicted by a Paris court on Tuesday on charges of sexually assaulting two women working on the set of a film in which he was starring in 2021. He received a suspended sentence of 18 months, and his name will be added to the national sex offender registry.

The judge also ruled that Mr. Depardieu, now 76, pay damages of 15,000 euros, about $17,000, to one of the two victims and €14,040, including her medical fees, to the other.

Mr. Depardieu was not in court for the ruling. His lawyer, Jérémie Assous, said he would appeal.

The verdict was welcomed by the victims’ lawyers as a landmark win for French women in the post #MeToo world.

“For me, it’s a victory, truly,” said one of the two victims, who has agreed to be identified only by her first name, Amélie. “We are moving forward.”

Her lawyer, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, said she hoped the ruling would mean the “end of impunity for artists in the film industry.”

“I’ve heard some actors recently still supporting Depardieu. Now with this verdict, no one can say Gérard Depardieu is not a sexual predator, and that’s very important,” she said.