- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Jeff Herman, the lawyer representing the man accusing Bryan Singer of sexual abuse, announced Monday that he has filed three additional sex abuse lawsuits against prolific TV exec Garth Ancier, former Disney TV president David Neuman and Broadway producer Gary Goddard. UPDATED: Neuman and Goddard subsequently denied the allegations – Neuman in a series of tweets, and Goddard through his lawyer. Ancier has not responded.
Ancier is a veteran programmer who oversaw the launch of Fox television and The CW, and also served as president of BBC Worldwide America. He created The Ricki Lake Show and, at Fox TV, 21 Jump Street and In Living Color.
EXCLUSIVE: Bryan Singer Accuser’s Attorney: I Have Witnesses
Neuman is the former president of Disney TV, and also worked as chief programming officer for CNN. Goddard, who directed the 1987 movie Masters of the Universe, has produced several off- and on-Broadway shows. He created numerous attractions for Universal Studios, including the Jurassic Park ride.
Herman made the announcement Monday at a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The event was attended by plaintiff Michael Egan and his mother, who broke into tears during the conference.
“We’ve alleged that there’s a Hollywood sex ring, one of several sex rings,” said Herman.
The suits allege that the three men were part of the same Hollywood sex ring that allegedly involved Singer. Herman says Egan was sexually abused by all three men at a home in Encino, Calif., and in Hawaii, and that force was used. The suit against Goddard includes an allegation of abuse when Egan was 15.
EARLIER: Bryan Singer’s Accuser Says He Was ‘Like a Piece of Meat to These People’
“Somebody has to stand up to these people,” said Egan at the press conference. “You can’t change the stigma that exists in this world against childhood sexual abuse unless someone talks about it.”
Egan’s mother, Bonnie Mound, who said she found out about the sexual abuse when her son was 17, told reporters that she went to the LAPD, FBI and various media outlets in an effort to get this story out, but it fell on deaf ears. One reporter did write something about it, but the story was killed before making it to print. The FBI, she said, failed to respond to her inquiries and letters after an initial interview.
Herman has made waves in the past week for a lawsuit on behalf of Egan, who claims he was raped by Singer when he was 17 in both Hawaii and California. The age of consent — for consensual sex, which Egan says was not what occurred — is 16 in Hawaii but 18 in California. However, the statute of limitations has run out in California.
Herman and Egan held a press conference April 17, where Egan said that he was sexually abused by the X-Men director at age 17. The alleged conduct included rape, other physical force and forced intoxication with cocaine, taking place amid “sordid parties,” according to the highly graphic lawsuit.
Herman states that he has eyewitnesses to Singer’s presence at 1999 sex parties in Hawaii, contradicting Singer’s lawyer’s assertion that documents show Singer was not on the island at the time. Herman declined to say whether any of his witnesses had actually seen any of the four defendants having sex with Egan.
EXCLUSIVE: Bryan Singer’s Attorney: Accuser’s Witnesses Are ‘Liars’
UPDATED: The Hollywood Reporter reached out to all three new defendants and/or their representatives. Goddard’s attorney Alan Grodin said in an email, “Gary is in China right now and we will have a proper statement in due course but needless to say this is without merit.”
Neuman, in five tweets, said “Hey everyone: obviously I have to be talking to and through lawyers, but I just want everyone to know right now that the disgusting allegations made against me are COMPLETELY FALSE. Also very shocking in that they don’t just stretch the truth, they are whole-cloth lies with zero basis in reality or truth. Sickening, and very evil, for anyone to lie like that, let alone in a legal document. Stay tuned; I will set the record straight. And thank you to the many friends who have reached out to me with messages of faith and support. I deeply appreciate it.”
In a sixth, he added simply a URL: “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_bear_false_witness_against_thy_neighbour.”
Ancier’s transactional (non-litigation) lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
After last week’s press conference, Singer’s lawyer, Marty Singer (no relation), said that he had credit card receipts, telephone records and production schedules, along with more than 100 witnesses, proving that Singer was not in Hawaii — and was mostly in Toronto working on the first X-Men movie — when the parties attended by then 17-year-old Egan took place.
“This was Bryan’s first studio film,” Marty Singer said. “Clearly, he’s not going to take a break in the middle of this movie while you’re shooting and prepping it to go to Hawaii.”
Email: jhandel99 at gmail dot com
Twitter: @jhandel
Related Stories
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day