The Paris court of appeal on Tuesday confirmed the dropping of rape accusations against French film director Luc Besson, one of the highest profile controversies of the #MeToo era in the country, reports RFI.
Dutch-Belgian actress Sand Van Roy had accused Besson - director of the "Fifth Element" and "Leon" - of raping her over a two-year on-off relationship, and filed a complaint against him in May 2018.
Prosecutors dropped the case in February 2019 citing lack of evidence, but a new investigation was opened later that year after Van Roy brought fresh charges.
A French magistrate then closed the case in December 2021 and prosecutors asked for it to be dropped in April.
Besson had always denied the accusations, describing the case in 2019 as "a lie from A to Z".
Van Roy's lawyer Antoine Gitton said an appeal would immediately be filed for his client with France's Court of Cassation.