Roman Polanski demanded through court that he be reinstated to the American Film Academy

Director Roman Polanski has filed a lawsuit against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and demanded that his membership be reinstated, the Associated Press reports.

The relevant documents were received by the Los Angeles court on April 19. They allege that Polanski was expelled from the academy in violation of the rules.

The director's lawyer, Harland Brown , noted that his client was "thrown out by an anonymous letter." According to him, Polanski is seeking a fair hearing on the issue of membership in the academy.

The organization, in turn, said that the procedure for expelling Polanski was "fair and reasonable."

Roman Polanski was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in May 2018 amid the #MeToo campaign against violence and harassment. Explaining its decision, the academy cited the need to maintain ethical standards.

• Roman Polanski was accused of raping 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977, whom he allegedly invited to shoot for Vogue and forced to have sex. Polanski confessed to having a sexual relationship with a minor to mitigate the charges, but left the United States without waiting for the verdict.
• Rape allegations against Polanski were also made by an actress from the UK and a resident of California. Both of them claim that they became victims of violence at the age of 16. US law enforcement agencies have been unsuccessfully trying to extradite Polanski for several decades.