Paris – 06/05/2026: Former American top model Carré Otis filed a lawsuit on Friday at a Paris court against Gérald Marie, the former European head of Elite Model Management. She accuses him of repeatedly raping her in 1986 when she was only 17 years old and involving her in human trafficking.
Otis, now 58 years old, became internationally known in the 1980s and 1990s, appearing on the covers of prestigious fashion magazines such as Elle, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. She reports that at the time she was sent to Paris by Elite Model Management and initially believed Marie wanted to promote her career. Instead, she became a victim of serious abuse.
Gérald Marie, 76 years old, led the European division of Elite Model Management from 1985 to 2010. Under his leadership, the agency developed into an important platform for numerous supermodels. Marie has denied all allegations so far. However, due to the statutory limitation periods in France, criminal prosecution in this case is not possible.
Carré Otis’ lawyer, Mathias Darmon, emphasizes that the lawsuit is primarily intended to encourage other potential victims to come forward with their experiences. Even though this specific case is time-barred, other women may initiate similar legal steps regardless of the limitation.
In 2021, Otis and several other former models jointly filed a lawsuit, which was dismissed due to expiration of the limitation period. French law allows victims of sexual abuse who were minors at the time of the offense to file complaints up to 30 years after reaching adulthood.
Otis makes it clear that with her lawsuit she wants to expose an entire system of sexual abuse in the fashion industry that existed and was covered up for years. She draws parallels to cases like that of US financier Jeffrey Epstein and places great hope in her actions encouraging further victims.
The fashion industry has been under increasing pressure for years to clarify sexual assaults and expose cases of abuse. Otis’ lawsuit could provide another impetus to create more justice for victims and raise public awareness of these issues.
In February 2023, the investigation against Gérald Marie was closed as the deadline for criminal prosecution had expired. Nevertheless, this legal dispute remains an important contribution to the debate on abuse of power and sexual violence in the industry, whose resolution continues to be a high priority.