Prominent German TV director who faced rape claim dies at 82

BERLIN (AP) — A court that was considering a case against Dieter Wedel, one of Germany’s best-known TV directors and scriptwriters, says that he has died. He was 82. The Munich state court said that Wedel died in Hamburg on July 13, German news agency dpa reported. The court had been expected to announce Wednesday whether a case in which he was charged with raping an aspiring actress in 1996 would go to trial. Wedel was the first prominent figure in the country named when the #MeToo movement targeting alleged sexual abusers in the media and the arts gathered pace in Germany four years ago. He denied claims by several women that he pressured them for sex.