Key testimony in 1977 Roman Polanski case may be unsealed


The Los Angeles County district attorney has agreed that key testimony in the sexual abuse case of disgraced director Roman Polanski should be unsealed.
District Attorney George Gascón has asked a state appeals court to unseal the testimony of former Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson, who led Polanski's prosecution and answered questions under oath about the case in 2009, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Polanski has been accused of drugging and raping a 13 year old girl. He pleaded guilty in 1977 to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor as part of a plea deal and went to prison for an evaluation for 42 days. But before a judge could send him back to prison, the director fled the United States to France, where he remains a fugitive.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Polanski's team has long requested that Gunson's testimony be unsealed, claiming it will show misconduct by the judge and lead to his case being dismissed, The Hollywood Reporter notes. But a previous request to unseal the transcripts was denied.
"For years, this office has fought the release of information that the victim and public have a right to know," Gascón said, adding that it has now concluded it's "in the interest of justice to agree to the unsealing of these transcripts."
Samantha Geimer, Polanski's alleged victim, also wanted the testimony to be made public, saying that "I believe as the victim in this case I deserve to know the whole truth."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
'Self-segregation by political affiliation is spreading'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
7 places across the country to experience the best of summer drinking
The Week Recommends Stops include a Basque-inspired spot and a bar where the menu overhauls twice a year
-
Amazon's robotaxi looks to be Waymo's biggest competitor
In the Spotlight The company recently opened a new robotaxi production plant in California
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia