A French court has convicted filmmaker Christophe Ruggia of sexually assaulting actor Adele Haenel when she was aged 12-15 during the filming of The Devils (2002), marking a landmark verdict in France’s #MeToo movement. Ruggia received a four-year sentence, with two years suspended and two served under house arrest with an electronic bracelet, plus fines totaling €35,000 for compensation and therapy costs. The ruling concluded a high-profile trial revealing systemic failures in France’s film industry to protect minors from abuse.
The Paris court ruled Ruggia “took advantage of [his] dominant position” over Haenel, citing “sexualized gestures and attitudes” during weekly meetings at his home over three years. Prosecutors emphasized how he “gradually isolated” Haenel from her family while justifying interactions as “film lessons”. Investigators uncovered notes on Ruggia’s computer describing 12-year-old Haenel’s “overflowing sensuality”. Though Ruggia denied wrongdoing and plans to appeal, the court found Haenel’s testimony credible, describing his actions as “permanent sexual harassment”.
Haenel testified that Ruggia touched her inappropriately during filming, including thigh and torso contact, forced neck kisses, and placing hands in her underwear. She described feeling “controlled and manipulated,” with the abuse triggering suicidal thoughts and academic struggles. After publicly accusing Ruggia in 2019, Haenel criticized the industry’s “complacency” toward predators, leading her to quit acting in 2023. Her decision to speak out followed viewing Leaving Neverland, a documentary about Michael Jackson’s abuse allegations, which she said revealed Ruggia’s “mechanisms of control”.
The trial exposed cultural resistance to #MeToo in France, where Haenel initially received scant support from peers. Her activism including walking out of the 2020 César Awards over Roman Polanski’s win galvanized others. Actress Judith Godrèche, present at the verdict, recently accused directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon of abuse. The case also precedes Gérard Depardieu’s March trial for alleged 2021 assaults.
Haenel showed no visible emotion during sentencing but was applauded by supporters outside. Director Céline Sciamma, her ex-partner, attended in solidarity. Ruggia’s lawyer called the verdict “dangerous,” claiming it relied solely on Haenel’s account. However, the court deemed his behavior part of a pattern enabling abuse in “a capitalist, patriarchal… industry”. As France grapples with this reckoning, Haenel’s case sets a precedent for holding powerful figures accountableeven as appeals loom.
