Feb. 22, 2013: French actor Gerard Depardieu arrives for the opening ceremony of the Illusion movie theater after its restoration in Moscow, Russia. (AP)
A French judicial official says rape and sexual assault accusations against actor Gerard Depardieu are the subject of a preliminary investigation. The French film star denies the allegations.
The official said a woman filed a complaint on Monday near the southern city of Aix-en-Provence and the case was assigned to Paris prosecutors Wednesday.
The official requested anonymity in discussing the case Thursday because he was not allowed to disclose details about an ongoing investigation.
Depardieu's lawyer, Herve Temime, said on France's BFM TV that the actor "absolutely denies any rape, any sexual assault, any crime."
French newspaper Le Parisien and BFM TV said the woman, a 22-year-old comedian and dancer, reported that the 69-year-old Depardieu assaulted her on August 7 and August 13 at his Parisian home.
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