Film director Roman Polanski, 71, won his case yesterday against Conde Nast, the media group that owns Vanity Fair.

The case was over an article which stated that Polanski made sexual advances to a woman in New York just after the 1969 murder of his wife, Sharon Tate.

Though many different stories had been published about the event of Polanski?s wife?s death, none hurt him more that the July 2002 Vanity Fair allegations.

The article even had quotes from a so-called ?on-looker?- Harper’s magazine editor Lewis Lapham, as saying: “Fascinated by his performance, I watched as he slid his hand inside her thigh and began a long honeyed spiel which ended with the promise ‘And I will make another Sharon Tate out of you’.”

Vanity Fair claimed that though the incident did not occur when Polanski was on the way back from his wife?s funeral, it did happen two weeks later. The magazine also argued that Polanski?s reputation had been ruined before the story had been even published, when, in 1977, he pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor and fled the United States.

Polanski brought in celebrities such as actress Mia Farrow, who was also at the dinner, to help him testify that the allegations which occurred in the Manhattan restaurant were all together untrue.

The case adjourned with Polanski winning compensation worth $115,000 U.S. (?50, 000) in libel damages.






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