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The man suing X-Men director Bryan Singer for forcible sexual abuse of a minor at 1999 parties in Los Angeles and Hawaii apparently previously sued the alleged hosts of the Los Angeles party but omitted Singer from his allegations then. That lawsuit was filed in 2000 in Los Angeles Superior Court. Some of the allegations are repeated in the later lawsuit, including a claim that one of the hosts professed to have “gaydar” and knew that the plaintiff wanted gay sex.
The 2000 suit was filed by several individuals, including one identified as “Michael E, a minor, by and through his guardian ad litem, Bonnie Mound.” The plaintiff in the suit filed Wednesday is Michael Egan. The birthday given for “Michael E” would make him 31 today, which is Egan’s age.
STORY: Bryan Singer’s Accuser Says He Was ‘Like a Piece of Meat to These People’
“It’s clear that these statements are fabricated,” said Singer’s attorney Martin Singer in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “If Bryan had done anything wrong, he would have been included in the previous lawsuit.”
Egan’s lawyer’s publicist told THR: “From what I understand, Michael had previously disclosed the allegations against Bryan Singer, and questions about the previous lawsuit involving the DEN people should be directed to the lawyer involved in that suit.”
A message left after hours for the previous lawyer, Daniel Cheren, was not immediately returned.
STORY: Director Bryan Singer Accused of Sexually Abusing 17-Year-Old Boy in 1999
The 2000 suit does not expressly reference the September 1999 party alleged in the more recent suit. Rather, the 2000 suit appears to encompass a period of time that is consistent with and including the 1999 party.
Both the recent lawsuit and the one from 2000 say that the Los Angeles parties were held at a mansion in Encino referred to as the M & C Estate, whose residents were Marc Collins-Rector and Chad Shackley, whose younger brother Scott Shackley was in Egan’s high-school class. Collins-Rector and Chad Shackley were principals of Digital Entertainment Network, an early online streaming video company. Collins-Rector subsequently was charged and pled guilty to transporting minors across state lines for sex, and is a registered sex offender.
The 2000 suit also asserts that Michael E. himself invited one of the other plaintiffs to a party at the mansion in July 1999. The suit filed yesterday does not mention this.
It was not immediately possible to determine the outcome of the 2000 lawsuit.
STORY: Bryan Singer Promises More ‘Mass Destruction’ In ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’
Martin Singer also issued a statement responding to a press conference held Thursday by Egan and his lawyer, Jeff Herman: “The claims made today about Bryan Singer are completely fabricated. We look forward to our bringing a claim for malicious prosecution against Mr. Egan and his attorney after we prevail. It is obvious that plaintiff’s attorney is not looking to litigate the case on its merits. This matter is nothing more than the attorney seeking to get his 15 minutes of fame by sending out a press release with his ‘media consultant’ yesterday and following up with a press conference today. Attorneys who try cases don’t hold press conferences.”
“Hollywood has a problem with the sexual exploitation of children,” Herman said previously. “This is the first of many cases I will be filing to give these victims a voice and to expose the issue.”
Email: jhandel99 at gmail dot com
Twitter: @jhandel
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