People News Roundup: Depardieu strongly contests rape charges; Tiger Woods will not face charges in crash and more

'An accident is not a crime': Tiger Woods will not face charges in crash Tiger Woods will not face criminal charges in the car crash that left him with serious injuries, the Los Angeles County Sheriff said on Wednesday, as the golf great recovered from extensive surgery to repair his fractured right leg and shattered ankle.

Following is a summary of current people news briefs.

French actor Depardieu strongly contests rape charges: lawyer

French actor Gerard Depardieu strongly contests rape and sexual assault charges leveled against him, his lawyer said on Wednesday, and asked that the associated investigation be allowed to proceed away from the public eye. Depardieu, one of France's most famous and prolific actors, was placed under formal investigation on charges of rape and sexual violence in December last year, a judicial source told Reuters on Tuesday.

'An accident is not a crime': Tiger Woods will not face charges in crash

Tiger Woods will not face criminal charges in the car crash that left him with serious injuries, the Los Angeles County Sheriff said on Wednesday, as the golf great recovered from extensive surgery to repair his fractured right leg and shattered ankle. Investigators were still trying to determine what caused Woods, 45, to lose control of the gray Genesis sport utility vehicle he was driving on Tuesday morning. Woods was negotiating a curved, downhill stretch of highway that authorities said was notoriously dangerous when the luxury SUV he was driving veered across the opposite lanes, collided with a road sign and rolled several times before coming to rest.

Another great Tiger Woods comeback is possible, say experts

Tiger Woods could return to competitive golf within a year, top orthopedic surgeons said on Wednesday, but the road back from serious leg injuries sustained in a car crash will be a long and grueling one. Already credited with one of sport's great comebacks when he returned from back surgery to win a fifth Masters in 2019, ending an 11-year majors drought, Woods will have to be even more resilient if he is to overcome the damage done in Tuesday's accident.

Drunken driving charge dropped against Springsteen; $500 fine for drinking at beach

Bruce Springsteen was fined $500 on Wednesday after the rock 'n' roll legend pleaded guilty to a charge of consuming alcohol at a federally run New Jersey beach in November, and prosecutors dropped drunken driving and reckless driving charges. Springsteen, 71, whose songs have chronicled life in his home state of New Jersey and its shore scene for more than 50 years, entered his plea in an online arraignment before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Anthony Mautone in Newark.

Lady Gaga offers $500,000 reward for stolen French Bulldogs

Pop superstar Lady Gaga is offering a $500,000 reward for the return of her French Bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, stolen in a violent altercation in Los Angeles that left a man fighting for his life, police and a source close to the singer said Thursday. Gaga, who was in Rome filming a movie when the dogs were stolen, has not commented personally on the theft. However, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that two French Bulldogs were stolen at gunpoint from a 30-year-old man on Sierra Bonita Avenue in Hollywood Wednesday night.