Polanski sues photographers outside Swiss chalet (TELE)

By Nancy Tartaglione

As he sits out his house arrest awaiting possible extradition to the US, Roman Polanski has filed a complaint of his own: The director is suing photographers for a little over $1 million after claiming his privacy has been invaded.

The complaint, filed in Paris, claims Polanski's family has been harassed by cameramen in their chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.

In a test case which will have worldwide implications, The Telegraph reported, Polanksi's lawyers will argue that even a self-confessed sex offender on bail has a right to privacy, especially as he is staying with his wife and their two teenage children.

The photographs of the family were taken on public land outside the chalet but French privacy laws are among the strictest in the world.

Even paparazzi shots taken on public beaches and in shopping areas are often considered a breach of the law, although damages remain low.

Polanski previously won a high-profile libel case in London against Vanity Fair in 2005 when it was found the magazine had defamed him by publishing claims that he tried to seduce a model soon after his wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Charlie Manson gang.

The current Polanski privacy case will be held in Paris on January 12th.

Swiss authorities have said they will announce a decision in January on whether Polanski will be extradited to the US.