French director Christophe Ruggia has been found guilty of sexually assaulting Portrait of a Lady on Fire actress Adèle Haenel when she was a child, marking a major #MeToo case in the French film industry.
The court sentenced him to two years under house arrest with an electronic bracelet, plus a two-year suspended sentence, and ordered him to pay €35,000 in damages and therapy costs. Despite the ruling, his legal team has vowed to appeal, calling it “unjustified.”
Haenel, now 35, first came forward in 2019, accusing Ruggia of sexually assaulting and molesting her between 2001 and 2004, starting when she was just 12 years old and starring in his film The Devils. The court found that Ruggia “took advantage of his dominant position” over Haenel, isolating her from loved ones while subjecting her to sexualized gestures and attitudes during weekly visits to his home. Haenel revealed that he caressed her thighs and touched her genitals and breasts, all while convincing her she owed him her career.
During the trial, Haenel confronted Ruggia head-on, even storming out of the courtroom at one point after telling him to “shut your mouth!” The court ultimately rejected his claims of being a mentor, ruling that he had groomed and abused her over several years.
Haenel has long been a fierce critic of the French film industry’s failure to hold abusers accountable. In 2020, she walked out of the César Awards in protest alongside her Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma when convicted child rapist Roman Polanski won Best Director, yelling “Shame!“.
In 2023, she quit acting entirely, condemning the industry’s continued protection of predators. Her courage has sparked a reckoning. France’s film industry has since faced mounting allegations, with powerful figures like Benoît Jacquot, Jacques Doillon, and Gérard Depardieu now accused of sexual violence.
The César Academy has updated its policies, banning nominees with serious criminal charges. As the verdict was read, Haenel appeared relieved, breathing deeply before being met with applause from women’s rights activists. Fellow actress Judith Godrèche, who has also accused high-profile French directors of sexual abuse, was present for the ruling, calling it a historic moment but rightly insists that “more must be done to end violence against women.”
Haenel’s bravery has shattered the silence around an industry that still protects powerful men at the expense of its victims. She may have walked away from cinema, but her impact is impossible to ignore.
Thank you for everything, Adèle.
