A French appeals court has increased the sentence of filmmaker Christophe Ruggia in a landmark #MeToo case.
Christophe Ruggia was sentenced to five years in prison on appeal after being found guilty of sexually assaulting actor Adele Haenel when she was a child.
The ruling was delivered Friday by a court in Paris. Ruggia, 61, had previously received a four-year sentence in 2025. The new judgment extends the penalty to five years, with three years suspended. He must still serve two years under electronic monitoring.
The case relates to abuse that occurred in the early 2000s, when Haenel was between 12 and 14 years old and Ruggia was in his late 30s.
According to the court, the offences were “extremely serious” and had a proven impact on Haenel’s mental health. Prosecutors said the abuse happened during regular visits after Haenel starred in Ruggia’s 2002 film The Devils, her first screen role.
Haenel later became one of the first major figures in France’s film industry to publicly accuse the sector of ignoring sexual abuse. Her testimony helped energise France’s #MeToo movement and renewed scrutiny of power dynamics in cinema.She is also widely known for her role in Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
The appeal decision is seen as another significant moment in France’s effort to confront abuse allegations in entertainment and protect minors in the industry.
The case reinforces growing pressure for accountability in European cinema and beyond.