Carré Otis celebrated a legal victory on Monday, one that could have far reaching repercussions.
The model, 56, who sued Gérald Marie, Elite Model Management’s former European chief, charging he repeatedly sexually abused her when she was still a teenager, could have finally have her day in court.
A lower court had dismissed the case, which was filed under New York state’s Child Victims Act, because the alleged abuse took place in France, but Otis appealed and is now one step closer to victory.
In a celebratory post on Instagram, the Marin County, California-born beauty announced the US Court of Appeals had ruled ‘the New York State Child Victims Act can apply to abuse that happened elsewhere.’
‘This is a huge win not only in my individual pursuit of justice, but for all survivors,’ she explained. ‘I am hugely grateful to every person who supported me along the way.’
Carré Otis, 56, celebrated a legal victory on Monday, one that could have far reaching repercussions. The US Court of Appeals ruled her case against alleged abuser Gérald Marie, can go forward, even though the purported abuse took place in France (Pictured in New York City in November 2021)
Otis said she was only 17 when the photographer sexually abused her several times a week while she was working with him in Paris. ‘It became clearer and clearer to me that if I did push back, I would not work,’ she told The New York Times in August 2021 (Pictured In New York City circa 1991)
Otis said 2019 law, which allowed victims of past sexual abuse to file suit until the age of 55, and the Adult Survivors Act, passed in 2022, ‘have allowed me and many others in our community to attempt to hold our abusers accountable for the harm they have caused.’
‘This process has not been easy, but it has been deeply meaningful to be able to seek closure and move toward healing.’
She then went on to urge New York state Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Fashion Workers Act, which Otis said would help ‘to prevent this abuse from happening in the first place.’
‘The rampant sexual abuse of young people in the fashion industry has gone largely unchecked for decades,’ she alleged, ‘and models continue to work without basic labor protections.’
‘As the fashion capital of the U.S., New York must continue to lead on workers’ and survivors’ rights by making this essential bill law.’
The bill would require modeling agencies, to, among other things, ‘conduct due diligence to ensure castings and jobs don’t pose unreasonable risk of danger to the model, allow a model to be accompanied by a chaperone, and establish a zero tolerance policy for abuse.’ according to the Model Alliance.
The bill, if passed, would provide financial protections as well.
Fellow model Helena Christensen reached out writing, ‘This is amazing!! I’m so happy for you ❤️❤️❤️’
Otis said the alleged abuse took place several times a week in the apartment where she was staying with Marie and then girlfriend Linda Evangelista. Two dozen women have since come forward alleging abuse by Marie
Former model Sara Ziff, 41, who has also filed to hold her alleged abusers responsible under the Adult Survivors Act, wrote, ‘Proud to stand with you ❤️’
The Adult Survivors Act allowed victims of sexual offenses to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers for a one year time period from November 24, 2022, to November 24, 2023, even though the statute of limitations on the purported crimes had expired.
Otis was a teenaged runaway when she was discovered by a modeling scout in San Francisco at age 16, and eventually ended up in New York City. It was from there as a 17-year-old was booked for shoots with Marie, who was reportedly known for having a bad reputation, and sent to Paris, where she lived with him and then partner Linda Evangelista.
During that time, Otis said Marie would sexually assault her several times a week. ‘It became clearer and clearer to me that if I did push back, I would not work,’ she told The New York Times in August 2021.
Some two dozen women have since come forward in France, alleging similar abuse at the hands of the famed photographer.
After returning to the US, Otis left the fashion business for a while, but found fame on her own, working with photographers such as Herb Ritts and Richard Avedon and modeling for Calvin Klein.
Otis said after suffering the abuse, most of her romantic relationships were abusive, including her marriage to her Wild Orchid co-star Mickey Rourke, 72.
The couple married in 1992. During their six year marriage, Rourke was arrested once on charges of spousal abuse in 1994, but the charges were dropped.
In her memoir, Beauty Disrupted, Otis revealed the actor was extremely jealous during their relationship.
Otis said after suffering the abuse, most of her romantic relationships were abusive, including her marriage to her Wild Orchid co-star Mickey Rourke, 72
The couple married in 1992. During their six year marriage, Rourke was arrested once on charges of spousal abuse in 1994, but the charges were dropped (Pictured in London in November 1995)
At one point, she revealed she was accidentally shot when a gun The Wrestler star had stuffed into her purse, fired accidentally. The bullet reportedly came within inches of her heart.
After divorcing Rourke in 1998, Otis said she turned to therapy and meditation to help her deal with her trauma.
She married chemical engineer Matthew Sutton in 2005. The couple live in Colorado and are the parents of two children.
Otis still dabbles in modeling, recently starring in a campaign for Dolce & Gabbana.
