Stéphane Plaza, M6's star real estate agent, sentenced to one year suspended prison sentence for domestic violence

The 54-year-old presenter was also banned from having contact with her for three years. However, he was acquitted of charges of "habitual" psychological violence, i.e. recurring, against another partner.

After listening to the judgment in court, Stéphane Plaza headed towards the window of the defendants' box, where he leaned on it and broke down in tears, before leaving the courtroom, avoiding the press, through an entrance usually reserved for professionals.

His lawyers denounced an "unacceptable" sentence. The presenter "will appeal", announced Me Hélène Plumet. Me Carlo Alberto Brusa considered that the "judicial machine" had "gone wild" against a man whose "kindness characterizes (his) life".

M6, which had always ruled out ending its collaboration with Stéphane Plaza, announced on Tuesday the deprogramming "as of today" of the programs "in which the presenter is "present". A decision taken "pending on possible legal consequences", the audiovisual group specified in a press release sent to AFP.

"Corroborated" statements

For the criminal court, the first complainant, Amandine, described "consistently" four scenes of violence, three of which were "corroborated" during the proceedings: testimonies, forensic examinations, etc.

These acts of violence, which took place between 2018 and 2022, were physical (punch to the shoulder, two dislocated fingers, one broken) or psychological (public humiliation), the president summarized.

At the hearing on January 9, Stéphane Plaza vigorously denied it. Amandine's crooked fingers in spring 2022? "I don't control my strength because I'm dyspraxic and clumsy," the defendant said.

The prosecution had requested an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a 10.000 euro fine, calling on the court to deliver a "fair sentence" to allow "responsibility to be placed where it belongs", in a case where "money was a central element in (the) mechanisms of domination".

On Tuesday, the court ordered Stéphane Plaza to pay Amandine 5.000 euros for her physical damages, 3.000 euros for her moral damages and 3.000 euros for lawyers' fees.

Amandine, who was distressed during the hearing and absent during the deliberations, "is satisfied to have been recognized and believed," declared her lawyer, Benjamin Chouai.

"Recognized as a victim"

During the trial, the second complainant, Paola, had denounced psychological violence, characterized by "changing behavior" from Mr. Plaza: sweet words in the evening, insults in the morning... "Old whore! Bimbo!", he told her when she had a breast augmentation to please him more.

She also said she had to change her lock because Mr Plaza refused to give her back her keys - claiming he had lost them.

Although the court assured that it was "not questioning the words" of the complainant, it stressed that the alleged violence was mainly based "on her statements".

Similarly, if the "psychological impact is not disputed", "it cannot be linked with certainty to the facts reported", the complainant having "not been the subject of a psychiatric assessment", continued the president. Mr. Plaza was acquitted on these counts.

"We have a problem with psychological violence," said Paola's lawyer, Louise Beriot, who represents her with Clotilde Lepetit.

"What is the point of having a law that defines them, represses them, if it is to note its lack of effectiveness in the cases?" asked Mr. Beriot.

"It was a long, terrible journey, but today I am happy for Amandine," Paola told AFP.

Despite Stéphane Plaza's acquittal, "I still feel like I have been recognized as a victim" and "I hope that this will help other women in the future, against these men who feel all-powerful."

The case began in September 2023, with the publication by Mediapart of the testimonies of three ex-partners. The prosecution then opened an investigation.

Real estate agent Stéphane Plaza became a star when M6 propelled him in 2006 to the head of the show "Recherche appartement ou maison", followed by "Maison à vendre" (2007) or "Chasseurs d'appart'" (2015).

Stéphane Plaza's conviction has further damaged the brand image of his real estate agency network, which lists 560 agencies on its website, and of which M6 is the majority shareholder. It "empties the Stéphane Plaza Immobilier brand of its substance," Valentin Simonnet, lawyer for around thirty agencies that want to leave the franchise, told AFP. The latter did not wish to comment.