Roman Polanski Refuses to Return to U.S.

Lawyer for fugitive director tells judge he won't be in court for hearing over whether sex case should be dismissed

Apparently, Roman Polanski has a repulsion for courtrooms.

An attorney for the fugitive Oscar-winning director today informed a Los Angeles judge that Polanski has no intention to fly in from Europe and appear in court for a hearing on whether the sex case should be tossed.

The Chinatown helmer has been reluctant to set foot in the U.S. since fleeing the country for France in 1977 after pleading guilty to illegal sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.

His lawyers have been working aggressively to clear his name, an effort that ramped up following last year's release of Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, an acclaimed documentary that explored the 75-year-old filmmaker's family tragedies and the sex scandal that nearly ended his storied career. Polanski claims the original prosecutor and judge violated his civil rights.

Also helping Polanski's cause is his victim, Samantha Geimer. Now 45, she has come out in his defense and asked the court to drop the case because the ongoing "lurid" details have harmed her and her family.

Back in February, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza admitted Polanksi's request had some merit and gave the filmmaker two and a half months to surrender—a deadline ending Thursday. The judge has demanded Polanski appear in person and subject himself to arrest, but his legal team has refused.

According to his reps, Polanski in Germany shooting The Ghost, a movie starring Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor and Kim Cattrall and has no intention of ever returning to the states.