Charged with defamation against Jacques Doillon, Judith Godrèche expresses her incomprehension
By The New Obs with AFP
Judith Godrèche at the Paris court on February 3, 2025, to support Adèle Haenel in her trial against French director Christophe Ruggia. JEANNE ACCORSINI/SIPA
Actress Judith Godrèche , spearhead of MeToo in France , expressed her incomprehension on Instagram this Wednesday, September 10, after being charged with defamation against filmmaker Jacques Doillon, whom she accuses of rape when she was 15.
In matters of defamation, the indictment of the person targeted by a complaint is automatic and does not result, as in traditional criminal proceedings, from an investigation which has uncovered "serious and consistent evidence" .
Announcing her indictment on Instagram, the 53-year-old actress drew a parallel between the complaint she filed for rape in early 2024 and the proceedings against her for having written on Instagram that Jacques Doillon's specialty was filming with children "with whom he sleeps" .
"On the one hand, my complaint against him is running up against the statute of limitations. On the other hand, for his complaint against me, the justice system is wasting no time," she said on Instagram, before asking: "In your opinion, will this encourage victims to report the violence they have suffered, or will it dissuade them?"
Defamation claims as a means of "intimidation"Following Judith Godrèche's complaint, followed by those of three other people, an investigation was opened and Jacques Doillon was placed under the intermediate status of assisted witness at the end of 2024. The 81-year-old filmmaker, a leading figure in auteur cinema, disputes the facts.
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On Instagram, Judith Godrèche said she was nevertheless looking forward to the defamation trial, which will take place unless Jacques Doillon withdraws. "I can't wait to come and explain the truth about his behavior," she wrote.
The use of defamation claims in sexual violence cases has already been denounced by complainants as a means of "intimidation" .
On September 6, a group of journalists expressed their concern about the indictment of sports journalist Marie Portolano following a defamation complaint filed by columnist Pierre Ménès, after the publication of a book in which she recounted a sexual assault on the Canal+ set in 2016. According to the group, the defamation complaint causes "an inversion of the victim burden: instead of hearing the words of a woman who denounces patriarchal violence, it is she who finds herself in a position to be attacked in court."
By The New Obs with AFP
