Roman Polanski's 1973 rape case settled, both sides say

French-Polish director Roman Polanski, who fled the United States decades ago after confessing to the statutory rape of a 13-year-old, will no longer face trial for allegedly assaulting another minor after reaching a settlement, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Concerned about the latest case against the director of 'The Pianist' An alleged sexual assault in 1973A trial in Los Angeles civil court was scheduled for next August, but has now been withdrawn, Polanski's US attorney told Agence France-Presse.

The case was “settled to the mutual satisfaction of the parties over the summer and is now officially dismissed,” Alexander Rufus-Isaacs said in an email.

The lawsuit, filed last year, claims that Polanski took a teenager, who has not been named in the filing as Jane Doe, to dinner at a Los Angeles restaurant in 1973.

He gave her tequila and, when she began to feel dizzy, took her to his house, where he forced himself on her.

“He told her: 'Please don't do it,'” plaintiffs' lawyer Gloria Allred told reporters in March.

“She alleges that he ignored her pleas. She also alleges that defendant Polanski undressed plaintiff and he began to sexually assault her, causing her great physical, mental pain and suffering.”

The civil suit, which sought unspecified damages, was filed in June 2023, just before the expiration of a California law that allows an extended window for claims against accused sex offenders.

Court papers filed in California in July said a “conditional” deal had been reached.

Allred said in an email late Tuesday that “the parties have agreed to a settlement of the claims to their mutual satisfaction.”

CBS News has reached out to Allred and Rufus-Isaacs for further comment.

Oscar winner Polanski, now 91, is a divisive figure, with some in the film world hailing his creative genius while others insist he has always been a sex predator.

Polanski admitted to statutory rape of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977 in a plea deal to avoid prosecution on more serious charges.

But he fled to France the following year, after 42 days in jail, when a judge appeared to be reconsidering his release.

Geimer later defended Polanski and was photographed with him last year.

A French court acquitted Polanski in May of defaming British actor Charlotte Lewis after she accused him of raping her when she was a teenager.

The director has always denied wrongdoing.