Overview
- Depardieu, who challenged a December 2023 episode of Complément d’enquête, disclosed Friday in a Paris court that he was dropping all claims against France Télévisions, Hikari, the reporters, and executive Delphine Ernotte-Cunci.
- The move followed his switch from lawyer Jérémie Assous to Delphine Meillet, who announced the withdrawal at the opening of the hearing.
- France Télévisions welcomed the decision and cited two expert reports that said he made sexual remarks toward a girl shown on screen and that the images were not fraudulently edited.
- Writer Yann Moix is continuing his complaint against Hikari, and the production company says it plans to file complaints against Assous and Moix over alleged attempts to sway the court and public opinion.
- The civil step-back leaves separate criminal matters in place, including his appeal of a suspended sentence over alleged 2021 on-set assaults and an order sending a rape case to trial that he is contesting.