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Polanski Files Another Emergency Appeal

Posted by: David Ring
March 31, 2010
Topic: Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski's lawyers filed another emergency appeal in Los Angeles recently, again seeking to somehow bring the case to an end without having the film director come to Los Angeles and appear in court.

The latest wrinkle in the case is that the secret testimony of Roger Gunson, the district attorney who handled the Polanski case back in the 1970s, was recently taken and apparently revealed new details which could further support Polanski's claim of prosecutorial misconduct by other district attorneys back when Polanski's case was pending in the late 1970s.

Ultimately, it appears Polanski's real strategy is to somehow get the case back in front of the Los Angeles Court of Appeal because months ago that same court issued a favorable ruling for Polanski and also urged the trial court to resolve the case quickly.  Since then, the trial court said it would only resolve the case quickly if Polanski returned to L.A. and appeared in court for a final sentencing.  The stakes are too high for Polanski to do that -- he might get sentenced to prison in California.  So, the proceedings have dragged on.

Polanski continues to be under house arrest in Switzerland.  He would rather be there in his Swiss chalet wearing an ankle bracelet than risk coming to L.A. only to be sent to prison here.

Polanski's latest plea to the Court of Appeal here in L.A. appears to be an attempt to simply get in front of what Polanski thinks are appellate judges sympathetic to his cause and give those judges a chance to issue a ruling that basically says, "Enough already!" along with a mandate that ends the case once and for all.