Roman Polanski Moves to Strike 1978 Sex Charge

Oscar-winning director requests to have 30-year-old child-sex charge dismissed

Thirty years after the fact, Roman Polanski would like to move on with his life.

The 75-year-old filmmaker filed a motion Tuesday to dismiss the child-sex charge that has had him avoiding America like the plague since the 1970s.

Polanski pleaded guilty in 1978 to unlawful intercourse with a minor for having sex with a 13-year-old girl but, fearing that the judge was going to renege on the agreement to keep him out of jail, he fled the United States before being sentenced and has technically been a fugitive from justice ever since.

Citing evidence revealed in the recent documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, his legal camp argues that there was "misconduct and improper communications" between the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and the Superior Court.

The Polish-born director of Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby continued to make films in Europe (but not in Britain, where he also hasn't stepped foot for fear of being extradited to the U.S.), winning an Academy Award in 2002 for The Pianist, which he was unable to collect in person.

A spokeswoman for the D.A.'s office said they had not yet received Polanski's motion.