Fugitive Director Sues Academy Over Expulsion

Roman Polanski has sued to win back membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, NBC reports. The organization expelled him last year, along with comedian Bill Cosby, in response to growing condemnation involving sexual assault allegations. The director has been a fugitive since 1978, when he left the country before being sentenced for unlawful sex with a minor. Polanski's lawsuit says that he had been a member in good standing since 1968 and that the academy broke its rules when it kicked him out. "We just want a fair hearing," his attorney says.

"The procedures taken to expel Mr. Polanski were fair and reasonable," the organization responded, per Variety. "The academy stands behind its decision as appropriate." Polanski, who won an Academy Award for The Pianist in 2003, has lived in France since he fled the US to avoid prison. When it expelled Polanski, the organization said it expected members to "uphold the academy's values of respect for human dignity." (More Roman Polanski stories.)