PARIS – Former American supermodel Carré Otis has taken a courageous step by filing a complaint in a Paris court, claiming that she was raped and trafficked by Gérald Marie, the former head of the Elite Model agency in Europe. This bold move, according to her lawyer, is intended to inspire other victims to come forward with their own stories.
While Marie denies the accusations and cannot be prosecuted due to France’s statute of limitations, Otis’ complaint could open the door for other women to join the case, regardless of whether their own cases are still within the legal timeframe, her lawyer Mathias Darmon explained to The Associated Press.
The allegations in the complaint are serious, including claims of rape of a minor and human trafficking. Otis was only 17 when she was sent to Paris by Elite Model agency in 1986, believing she was being supported in her modeling career. Instead, she claims she lived in Marie’s apartment where she was raped multiple times and subsequently provided to other wealthy men throughout Europe, as stated in the complaint.
Importantly, Otis reported that she was never compensated for her work as a model, which adds a layer of exploitation to her story.
“The goal is to give other victims the opportunity to find the courage to join our complaint,” Darmon emphasized. “We are opening the door for all those affected by this internationally significant case to come forward and have their voices heard.”
At 58 years old, Otis rose to supermodel fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s, gracing the covers of major fashion magazines like Elle, Vogue, and Vanity Fair, and even featuring in the famous Pirelli calendar.
On the other hand, Marie, now 76, managed Elite Model agency from 1985 to 2010, a time when it was a powerhouse in the modeling industry, helping to launch the careers of many well-known supermodels.
According to reports from French broadcaster France Info, Otis expressed her desire to expose a broader issue: “an entire system of sexual abuse of models that lasted for years in the fashion industry,” which she compared to the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein case.
It is worth noting that a previous complaint filed by Otis and other former models in 2021, alleging rape and sexual assault by Marie during the 1980s, was dismissed due to the claims being outside 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, which allows them to do so until they turn 48.
