A Paris court has delivered a significant verdict in the country's first major #MeToo trial, finding filmmaker Christophe Ruggia guilty of sexual assault on French actor Adèle Haenel when she was between 12 and 15 years old in the early 2000s. Ruggia has been sentenced to two years under house arrest with an electronic bracelet and a two-year suspended sentence. The court's ruling comes after Haenel accused Ruggia of inappropriate touching during and after the filming of the movie 'Les Diables' in the early 2000s.
Haenel, a prominent figure in the French film industry, was applauded by women's rights activists as she left the courtroom following the verdict. The court determined that Ruggia had abused his dominant position over Haenel, engaging in sexualized gestures and attitudes during their quasi-weekly meetings over a period of three years. Ruggia has denied the allegations and plans to appeal the verdict.
