Former Supermodel Alleges Rape and Trafficking
PARIS – Calle Ortiz, a former American supermodel, has lodged a complaint in a Paris court accusing Gerard Marie, the ex-head of Europe’s Elite Model Agency, of rape and trafficking. Her attorney stated that this legal action is aimed at motivating other potential victims to step forward.
Marie has denied the allegations and cannot be prosecuted in Ortiz’s case due to the statute of limitations in France. Nonetheless, Ortiz’s lawyer, Mathias Darmon, noted that this complaint might pave the way for additional women to join the lawsuit, even if their claims are time-barred.
The allegations include rape of a minor and human trafficking, as outlined in documents seen by the Associated Press.
At the age of 17, Ortiz was sent to Paris by Elite Model Agency in 1986 and was housed in Marie’s apartment under the false impression that he was aiding her modeling pursuits, according to the suit. While living there, she claims she was raped multiple times by Marie, who later facilitated offers for her to wealthy individuals across Europe.
According to the complaint, Ortiz never received payment for her modeling work.
“The goal is to empower other victims to find the strength to join us in this case,” said Darmon. “We are opening the door for all affected by this significant international incident to come forward and share their stories.”
Ortiz, now 58, was a prominent supermodel during the late 1980s and early 1990s, gracing the covers of Elle, Vogue, and Vanity Fair, and appearing in the Pirelli calendar.
Marie, who is 76 years old, managed Elite’s operations from 1985 to 2010, a period during which the agency was a powerhouse in the modeling world and launched numerous famous supermodels.
Ortiz expressed a desire to denounce the systemic sexual abuse of models that has permeated the fashion industry for years, drawing comparisons to the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, as reported by French broadcaster France Info.
A previous complaint filed in 2021 by Ortiz and other former models alleging rape and sexual assault by Marie during the 1980s was rejected due to being beyond the statute of limitations.
According to French law, victims who were minors at the time of their alleged abuse can file a criminal complaint within 30 years of reaching adulthood, or up to age 48.
