A filmmaker accused of sexually assaulting French actor Adèle Haenel when she was a minor goes on trial in Paris Monday, five years after her allegations fired France's #MeToo movement, reports Yahoo! News.
Christophe Ruggia is accused of sexually assaulting Haenel - star of films including "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" and "120 Beats Per Minute" - in the early 2000s when she was under 15 and he was in his mid to late 30s.
The Ruggia case is one of a string that have raised questions about sexual violence in French society, particularly in the arts world.
"We're talking about a famous actor jeopardising her career" by making these accusations, said Yann Le Bras, Haenel's lawyer.
Ruggia, 59, once a leader of the French directors' union, has denied all the charges against him, although he admits to committing "errors".
The "reality", Le Bras said, is of "a 36-year-old man who molested a 12-year-old girl for several years".
Haenel, 35, has become an iconic figure in France for speaking out against "complacency" towards sexual abuse in the film industry.
In 2019, she went public with a description of the sexual assault she allegedly suffered at the hands of Ruggia, accusing the director of subjecting her to "constant sexual harassment" from the age of 12 to 15, including "forced kisses on the neck" and touching.