Laurence J. Rittenband

Laurence James Rittenband

A Los Angeles Times story about Rittenband entitled "Laurence J. Rittenband, 81, Shows an Unorthodox Style: Crusty Judge Rules His Court With Iron Hand"[4] described controversy around the judge's conduct during the Hunt case. The story said Hunt's defense team had a host of complaints against Rittenband, who put a gag order^[5] on one of Hunt's defense attorneys after they publicly criticized his actions. In response, lawyers Arthur Barens and Richard Chier moved for mistrial on the basis of judicial misconduct.

Rittenband once vowed to remain on the bench until Polanski was behind bars, but retired in 1989, when he was 83 years old.^[6] Rittenband issued an arrest warrant for Polanski when he fled in 1978; Polanski was arrested in September 2009 in Switzerland, while traveling to a film festival there, but was later released and allowed to return to France.

The 2008 documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired attacks Judge Rittenband for both his private life and his handling of the Polanski case.^[3][7] He was removed from the case in February 1978 after a complaint filed by Polanski's attorney and supported by the prosecutor in the case, as attested by both in individual interviews in the documentary.

Shortly after Polanski fled, Rittenband denied he ever did anything that the 2008 documentary would go on to allege, by issuing the following statement:^[8]

I then stated that an appropriate sentence would be for Mr. Polanski to serve out the remainder of the 90-day period for which he had been sent to Chino, provided Mr. Polanski were to be deported by the Immigration and Naturalization Bureau, by stipulation or otherwise, at the end of the 90 days. I expressly stated that I was aware that the court lacked authority to order Mr. Polanski deported directly or as a condition of probation. However, based on the facts before me, I believed that the safety and welfare of the citizens of California required that Mr. Polanski be kept out of circulation for more than 90 days. However, since Mr. Polanski is an alien who had pleaded guilty to an act of moral turpitude, I believe that the interests of the citizens of California could be adequately safeguarded by a shorter jail term if Mr. Polanski would thereafter absent himself from the country.

Death

Rittenband died aged 88 of cancer in West Los Angeles.^[9]

References