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ROME (Reuters) -An Italian judge has given Gerard Depardieu until October to try to settle a case in which the French actor is accused of assaulting a veteran Italian photographer during an altercation in Rome last year.

An initial hearing on Tuesday fixed a date of October 15 for the next session if Depardieu and Rino Barillari, a well-known paparazzo celebrity photographer, fail to settle out of court.

Depardieu, 76, was not required to enter a plea at this stage, and was represented in court by lawyer Fabrizio Siggia.

The case dates back to May 2024, when Barillari accused Depardieu of assaulting him in central Rome after he took photos of the actor and his partner at the Harry's Bar restaurant on Via Veneto.

Barillari, who is 80, told Italian media at the time that he went to the restaurant when he heard that Depardieu was having lunch there with friends.

Barillari took some photos before heading outside, after Depardieu's entourage repeatedly asked him to leave.

The actor's partner, Magda Vavrusova, followed him to remonstrate, Barillari said, with Depardieu rushing out soon afterwards and punching him three times, leaving him with a cut to his head that needed medical attention.

Barillari's account differed significantly from that of Depardieu and Vavrusova, who accused him of shoving them around.

Separately, a Paris court last month found Depardieu guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set and handed him an 18-month suspended sentence. Depardieu repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in that case. His lawyer said he would appeal the court's decision.

The actor has been a leading figure in French cinema, starring in more than 200 films over five decades, including Green Card, The Last Metro and Cyrano de Bergerac.         

(Reporting by Paolo ChiriattiWriting by Keith WeirEditing by Bernadette Baum)