The 'Rosemary's Baby' director, who fleed to his native Europe after he was found guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl, was expelled from the organization behind the annual Oscars ceremony in May 2018.

AceShowbiz - Filmmaker Roman Polanski has filed suit against officials at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a bid to be reinstated as a member.

The "Rosemary's Baby" director was expelled from the organisation behind the annual Oscars ceremony, alongside Bill Cosby, in May, 2018.

Both men had been accused of sexual assault, with Polanski fleeing to his native Europe after he was found guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl at a Hollywood party in 1977.

The French-Polish moviemaker, who has remained a fugitive ever since, is now making good on his previous vow to slap Academy bosses with aggressive litigation over his expulsion.

According to court papers obtained by TMZ, he is accusing Academy chiefs of breaking their own rules by failing to give him a fair chance to challenge the decision.

"The Academy was supposed to provide reasonable notice of any adverse action to be taken against a member and a reasonable opportunity for a member to be heard," his lawyers state in the documents.

Representatives for the Academy have yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit, but Polanski's victim, Samantha Geimer, has voiced her support for the director, having previously insisted she forgives him for the assault.

Speaking to The Blast, Geimer, now 56, claims Academy executives were "disingenuous" when they banished Polanski, who she believes has "served his time" over the crime.

"I agree that it doesn't sound like they followed the rules when they expelled him," she says, insisting Polanski should be reinstated, "if that's what he wants".

The director was admitted to the Academy in 1963, and his movies have won eight Oscars.

The 85-year-old still faces jail time if he ever returns to the U.S.

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