Gérard Depardieu faces new charges after being accused of more than a dozen sexual assault allegations

French actor Gérard Depardieu is once again facing sexual assault charges. This time, the complaint comes from a film set designer who claims he groped her during filming in 2021.

In the complaint filed with the Paris public prosecutor’s office, she accuses the 75-year-old of sexual coercion, sexual harassment and sexist insults, her Paris lawyer Carine Durrieu Diebolt said on Monday.

The 53-year-old interior designer claims Depardieu grabbed her and massaged her waist, stomach and breasts during the filming of “Les Volets verts,” which translates to “The Green Shutters,” the lawyer said. Other people intervened to stop the alleged assault, the lawyer added.

Two lawyers for Depardieu did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. Their offices said they were unavailable for a phone interview.

Depardieu has appeared in hundreds of films over the course of more than half a century, including French classics such as The Last Metro, Jean de Florette and Cyrano de Bergerac, as well as English-language films such as Green Card and Life of Pi.

More than a dozen other women accused the actor of harassing, groping or sexually assaulting them.

What is Gérard Depardieu accused of?

The allegations against the film set designers follow a series of allegations against the famous French actor over the past four years.

Depardieu was provisionally charged with rape and sexual assault in 2020 and an investigation was launched after actress Charlotte Arnould made allegations in 2018 that the crimes took place in Depardieu’s home. He has denied any criminal conduct and the investigation is ongoing.

In March, French investigative website Mediapart published information accusing Depardieu of harassing, groping or sexually assaulting 13 women. Most of the allegations reported by the website Mediapart relate to filming between 2004 and 2022.

Depardieu’s lawyers from the Temime law firm “formally deny all allegations that (could) concern criminal aspects,” wrote Mediapart, calling the allegations a “true accusation” to which the actor does not wish to respond.

In September, comedian Helene Darras filed another complaint in France alleging sexual harassment. Darras accused Depardieu of touching her bottom when she was acting as a young extra in the 2008 film “Disco.”

News channel France 2 released a documentary in December claiming the number of accusers had risen to 16. France 2’s report also showed the actor making obscene remarks and gestures during a trip to North Korea in 2018.

That same month, Spanish journalist and writer Ruth Baza filed a complaint against Depardieu, saying he sexually abused her during an interview in Paris in 1995, Spanish police said.

Baza, 51, told Barcelona newspaper La Vanguardia that she interviewed the actor for Cinemanía magazine in Paris when he was 23. In her complaint to police, Baza reported how the actor kissed her face and neck and penetrated her with his fingers, behavior she said police classified as rape.

What did Gérard Depardieu say about the allegations?

Depardieu denies any wrongdoing. In October, he published an open letter in the French newspaper Le Figaro, saying: “I want to tell you the truth. I have never, ever mistreated a woman.”

French President Emmanuel Macron supports Gérard Depardieu

French President Emmanuel Macron also aroused anger when he said in December that Depardieu “made France proud”.

On the television channel France 5, Macron described himself as a “great admirer” of a “great actor”.

When asked about the allegations against Depardieu, Macron said he believed in the presumption of innocence and in a trial. “You will never see me take part in a manhunt,” said the French president.

56 French stars defend Gérard Depardieu

More than 50 French artists, writers and producers published an essay in December defending Depardieu as his behavior toward women throughout his five-decade career comes under increasing scrutiny. Representatives of victims of sexual abuse expressed dismay at the outpouring of support.

The letter, published in the conservative Le Figaro, was signed by personalities such as former First Lady and singer Carla Bruni, Depardieu’s former partner Carole Bousquet, and actors Pierre Richard, Charlotte Rampling and Victoria Abril. Two dozen of the 56 signatories were women. Many are from Depardieu’s generation.

“We cannot remain silent in the face of the lynching of him and the flood of hatred that is pouring down on his personality,” the letter says. “If Gérard Depardieu is attacked in this way, it is the art (of cinema) that is being attacked. France owes him so much. … To deprive us of this great actor would be a tragedy, a defeat. The death of art. Of our art.”

Contributor: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gérard Depardieu faces new sexual assault charges: What you should know