Overview

• An investigative judge ordered the allegations by actress Charlotte Arnould sent to trial before the Paris criminal court.
• Arnould, 29, accuses Depardieu of raping her twice in his Paris home on August 7 and 13, 2018, alleging non-consensual digital penetration.
• Depardieu denies wrongdoing; his lawyer cites surveillance footage to contest the account and says he will challenge the referral through legal remedies.
• No trial date has been set, and the offense carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years under French law.
• The move follows Depardieu’s May 2025 conviction for separate 2021 film-set assaults, for which he received an 18-month suspended term and has filed an appeal, as the case fuels a wider reckoning in French cinema.