By now you have probably heard of the troubling accusations being made against Bryan Singer, with one more now added to the growing list of lawsuits against the director.
Following a lawsuit filed by Michael Egan alleging that Singer sexually abused and raped him when he was a teenager, Egan’s lawyer Jeff Herman has now filed another lawsuit on behalf of an anonymous UK citizen. This plaintiff claims to have been targeted by Singer and Gary Goddard while he was a teenager, participating in naked webcam sessions when he was 15. He further alleges that he was assaulted by Singer in a London hotel room following a Superman after-party (presumably Superman Returns), where a large man held him down while Singer attacked him and attempted to rape him. Gary Goddard is alleged to have looked on.
Singer’s lawyer, Marty Singer (no relation), has claimed that all the lawsuits being brought against Singer are defamatory and totally untrue. Jeff Herman has asserted that he has witnesses that can place Bryan Singer at underage sex parties in Hawaii, where the assault on Egan supposedly took place; Singer, meanwhile, claims that he has credit card receipts and a number of witnesses that will prove he was many miles away.
Although Michael Egan’s initial suit has yet to be served, the whole round of accusations has caused quite an uproar, with lawyers on both sides launching attacks that have more bluster than substance. Whatever the outcome of the suits, Bryan Singer’s reputation has been significantly damaged in the public eye, as we have a tendency to try these cases in public before they are ever actually brought to proof in court. What this means for the director’s upcoming film, X-Men: Days of Future Past, remains to be seen, but I imagine that the execs are 20th Century Fox are getting a bit nervous right about now.
The new suit was filed in Los Angeles but does not name a plaintiff. Presumably, we shall hear more about this in the coming weeks, if and when the lawsuits are finally served.