PARIS – In a courageous move that seeks to shed light on dark corners of the fashion industry, former American supermodel Carré Otis has stepped forward with a legal complaint in a Paris court. On Friday, Otis accused Gérald Marie, once the European head of the Elite Model agency, of rape and human trafficking. Her lawyer emphasized that this action is intended to inspire other victims to share their stories.
Despite the gravity of these allegations, Marie has consistently denied any wrongdoing. However, due to the constraints of France’s statute of limitations, he cannot face prosecution in Otis’ particular case. Nevertheless, this legal maneuver opens the door for other women, regardless of whether their claims are time-barred, to potentially join the legal process, as explained by Otis’ attorney, Mathias Darmon, in a statement to The Associated Press.
The complaint, which has been reviewed by the AP, includes serious charges of rape of a minor and human trafficking. It paints a disturbing picture of the events that transpired in 1986 when Otis, then just 17, was sent to Paris by Elite Model agency.
Otis claims she was placed in Marie’s apartment under the guise of advancing her modeling career. The complaint details a harrowing experience where she was repeatedly raped by Marie and subsequently trafficked to affluent men throughout Europe. These allegations highlight a troubling misuse of power within the fashion industry.
Adding to the injustice, Otis asserts that she never received compensation for her modeling work during this time, underscoring the exploitation she endured.
“The goal is to give other victims the opportunity to find the courage to join our complaint,” Darmon said. “We are opening the door for all those affected by this internationally significant case to come forward and have their voices heard.”
Otis, 58, became a supermodel in the late 1980s and early 1990s, appearing on the covers of Elle, Vogue and Vanity Fair and featuring in the Pirelli calendar.
Marie, a 76 year-old French national, supervised operations at Elite from 1985 to 2010, during a period when the agency dominated the modeling industry. He helped launch the careers of some of the world’s best-known supermodels.
French broadcaster France Info reported Friday that Otis said she wanted to “denounce an entire system of sexual abuse of models that lasted for years in the fashion industry,” drawing parallels to the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein case.
A complaint previously filed in 2021 by Otis and several other former models alleging rape and sexual assault by Marie in the 1980s was dismissed because the claims were beyond the statute of limitations.
Under French law, victims who were minors at the time of alleged sexual abuse can file a criminal complaint until 30 years after reaching adulthood, allowing them to do so until age 48.
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