Roman Polanski’s new lawyers revealed today that they have filed for dismissal of the criminal case against the director:
Academy Award-winning film director Roman Polanski, through new lawyers, Chad Hummel of Los Angeles’ Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, and Bart Dalton of Los Angeles, today filed a formal request with the Los Angeles County Superior Court to have the Court dismiss the criminal case brought against him more than 30 years ago in which he had entered a guilty plea to “unlawful sexual intercourse.” The request was made on the grounds that judicial and prosecutorial misconduct had so distorted the legal process that the interests of justice can only be served with the complete dismissal of the case.
Polanski, a French citizen, left the United States in 1978 in order to avoid being forced to serve a second term of imprisonment for the same offense. Polanski had already served time in California state prison. Since then, the case has been the subject of extensive coverage and analysis, including as the subject of the 2008 documentary film, “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.”
Lawyers Chad Hummel and Bart Dalton issued the following statement about the public filing today:
“The release of the documentary film, ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED, and its aftermath, have revealed a pattern of misconduct and improper communications between the Superior Court and the District Attorney’s Office, in violation of the rule of law and without the knowledge of the defendant or his counsel.
“This case serves as a classic example of how our justice system can be abused, and defendants’ rights trampled, by an unholy alliance between courts and criminal prosecutors.”
