In this May 6, 2008 file photo, Samantha Geimer arrives at the premiere of the HBO Documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" in New York. A lawyer for Polanski says Geimer, a sex crime victim, will appeal to a judge to end the case against him. Geimer will appear Friday, June 9, 2017 in Los Angeles Superior Court to help make the case that Polanski has served his time for the 40-year-old crime. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)
By Brian Melley
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
A lawyer for Roman Polanski says his sex crime victim will directly appeal to a judge to end the case against him.
Attorney Harland Braun said Samantha Geimer will appear Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court to help make the case that Polanski has served his time for the 40-year-old crime.
The Oscar-winner has been a fugitive since he fled to France in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a minor.
Polanski feared the judge was going to renege on the plea agreement and send him away for more time than the six weeks he served in prison prior to sentencing.
Geimer, who was 13 at the time, has long supported Polanski's bid to end the case, but has never appeared on his behalf in court.
Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.
The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.
The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.
DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.
"While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.
The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.
The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.
DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More
