Roman Polanski: French court acquits director of defamation

A Paris court has acquitted director Roman Polanski of defaming a British actor who accused him of raping her when she was a teenager. In 2019, he told Paris Match magazine that Charlotte Lewis had lied about being sexually assaulted by him four decades ago.Ms Lewis, 56, brought the case against the 90-year-old filmmaker.She told the court in March that she had become the victim of a “smear campaign” that “nearly destroyed” her.Ms Lewis told the BBC she will appeal the decision.The court’s verdict relates to the charge of defamation and not to Ms Lewis’s accusation of rape against Mr…