The Paris Correctional Court is set to hear on 2 October the legal disputes between Yann Moix and Gérard Depardieu, and journalists from the “Complément d’enquête,” programme, involving accusations of defamation, false testimony, illicit editing, and breach of trust.
The court determined that a full day of hearings will be necessary to address the complex case with interwoven legal proceedings and multiple witnesses expected to testify.
The dispute dates back to December 2023, when the documentary Gérard Depardieu: The Fall of the Ogre aired on the 'Complément d’enquête' programme on France 2.
One segment, filmed in 2018 at a North Korean equestrian centre, showed Depardieu making sexual remarks as a young girl on horseback appeared on screen. Notably, Depardieu remarked, “If it only gallops, she’ll come.”
Following the broadcast, Depardieu and Moix protested, claiming the comments were taken out of context and accusing the production company, Hikari, and France Télévisions, which aired the programme, of “illicit editing” and “breach of trust.”
However, the documentary’s creators maintain that the editing accurately represents the events.
In addition to the footage from Complément d’enquête, they have relied on other recordings of the scene, reviewed by 'French news agency AFP.
According to the creators, synchronising the video and audio evidence confirms that Depardieu’s remarks were indeed directed at the young girl.
The lawyer for Moix and Depardieu, Jérémie Assous, has requested an independent analysis of the raw footage, which is expected before the trial.
Meanwhile, Depardieu, aged 76, is awaiting a decision on 13 May regarding his trial on sexual assault charges involving two women during a 2021 film shoot.
