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Oscar-nominated composer Danny Elfman is being sued by a woman for alleged sexual misconduct, The Hollywood Reporter and Rolling Stone report.
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The suit, filed in Los Angeles superior court on Wednesday, came from a a 47-year-old Maryland woman using the pseudonym Jane Doe XX. She alleges she was studying film in New York when she met Elfman in 1997. She was 21 at the time and he was 47. She is suing Elfman for sexual assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment and negligence.
Does claims that the relationship began as that of a mentor-mentee but that she "always felt the imbalance of power and pressure to act a certain way …" The lawsuit details allegations that Elfman would walk around nude in Doe's company and that he convinced her to sleep in the same bed as him while staying at his Topanga Canyon home in 1998. Their friendship ended when Elfman told her that every time they had stayed in the same bed he had masturbated while she was asleep.
A spokesperson for the composer, now 70, told the Hollywood Reporter: “The allegations of misconduct made against Mr Elfman are baseless and absurd. His legal team is assessing all options and he will vigorously defend these claims in court.”
Doe’s attorney, Jeff Anderson, told Rolling Stone that his client hopes to send a message to individuals who have "made efforts to destroy the lives of others who found the courage to speak up."
The suit, filed in Los Angeles superior court on Wednesday, comes three months after Elfman paid $830,000 in compensation to a second woman who also accused him of sexual misconduct. Nomi Abadi also alleged that Elfman had failed to pay her for work they did together. Elfman denied the allegations of misconduct.
