HOLLYWOOD - Roman Polanski has been awarded $87,000 in damages after winning hislibel case against Vanity Fair magazine at London's High Court earlier July 22.
The Oscar-winning director was accused in a Vanity Fair article of seducing model
Beatte Telle on the way to the burial of his wife Sharon Tate, who was murdered
by followers of Charles Manson in 1969.
Publisher Conde Nast, which has been ordered to pay the damages, now admits
the article was inaccurate.
Polanski has slammed the magazine for "monstrously libeling" him "for the
sake of a lurid anecdote".
The 72-year-old says of his legal triumph, "Whilst the whole episode is a sad
one, I am obviously pleased with the jury's verdict today.
"Three years of my life have been interrupted. Three years within which I
have had no choice but to relive the horrible events of August 1969, the
murders of my wife, my unborn child and my friends.
"Many untruths have been published about me, most of which I have ignored,
but the allegations printed in the July 2002 edition of Vanity Fair could not
go unchallenged."
Polanski gave evidence during the case from France via video link to avoid
extradition to America, where he's wanted for questioning on child sex charges
dating back to 1977.
Article Copyright World Entertainment News Network All Rights Reserved.