Frédéric Chaslin Cleared as Paris Prosecutors Drop Harassment Case

The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office has closed the sexual harassment case against conductor Frédéric Chaslin without further action. The criminal investigation concluded that no offense had been established, according to a statement from his lawyers, Olivier d'Antin and Emmanuel Daoud, published in English by Slippedisc on September 24, 2026.

Chaslin announced the outcome himself on social media. "Please find below the statement from my lawyers, Olivier d'Antin and Emmanuel Daoud, regarding the decision to close the case following the complaint filed against me," he wrote. "I am also attaching, for reference, the letter from my American lawyer concerning the Epstein matter."

The lawyers' statement addressed the toll of the publicity directly. Chaslin, they wrote, "bore the full brunt of the media coverage surrounding the allegations against him, all of which he has consistently denied," and he "now wishes to fully resume his professional and artistic activities."

What was Chaslin accused of?

The case began in March 2026, when soprano Amélia Feuer filed an official complaint with the French government. She alleged that Chaslin sexually harassed her over text messages in 2016 and offered her work and notoriety in exchange for sexual favors. (In the French system, a dismissal without further action — a classement sans suite — means prosecutors close a case without bringing charges, often because investigators find insufficient evidence of an offense.)

The harassment complaint wasn't the only pressure on the conductor. Earlier, released Epstein files showed Chaslin's name appearing in hundreds of documents, revealing a relationship with the convicted sex offender dating back to 2012. The files also recorded conversations between the two men about the #MeToo movement.

What does the Epstein letter say?

Chaslin's American lawyer addressed that history in a separate letter, also published on September 24. On Epstein, the legal team stated that Chaslin has "never been investigated and has never been charged with any offense." His interactions with Epstein, they wrote, "were limited to a small number of social encounters, all of which took place in the presence of third parties, and were entirely devoid of any improper conduct."

The files did surface one concrete connection beyond Chaslin himself. In a 2014 email to both Chaslin and Epstein, Santa Fe Opera board member Peter Frank wrote: "All is terrific in Santa Fe a very successful musical summer for us here We may be in Paris for a stay next September/Oct What is your schedule then." Frank currently sits on the company's board of directors; Chaslin is a former music director there.

What happens next?

So what does this actually change? Legally, Chaslin walks away from the criminal process without charges — but a prosecutorial closure is not an acquittal by a court, and the lawyers' framing makes clear he still has reputational ground to recover. His stated intention to "fully resume his professional and artistic activities" now faces the booking desks of opera houses that spent months watching the case. How quickly engagements return will be the real test of what this decision is worth.