Bryan Singer, the director-producer behind the X-Men movie franchise has been accused of sexually abusing an aspiring male teenage actor 15 years ago. The allegations came in the form of a federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday by Michael F. Egan III, who claims in the filing that Singer offered him a role in an X-Men film “if he gave in to his sexual demands, while threatening to destroy his career if he didn’t,” CNN reports.
Egan, now in his thirties, said on Thursday that he reported the abuse to authorities at the time it occurred, but that it was never pursued by law enforcement. Los Angeles police officials said they were investigating whether a report had been filed. According to the Associated Press, Egan “described abuse he said began when he was 15 years old at the hands of Singer and others. He described being plied with drugs and promises of Hollywood fame while also enduring threats and sexual abuse in Hawaii and Los Angeles over several years.”
Here’s more on the civil suit via the AP:
Egan sued Singer on Wednesday and is seeking more than $75,000 on each of four accusations: intentional infliction of emotional distress, battery, assault and invasion of privacy…The lawsuit was filed in Hawaii, and is possible because of a state law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations in sex abuse cases. Egan’s lawyer Jeff Herman said Thursday that he planned to file additional lawsuits in Hawaii against other Hollywood figures he said were responsible for abusing underage teens. The attorney would not say who else he planned to sue.
During a press conference on Thursday, Egan’s lawyer, Jeff Herman, said there was a pattern of sexual abuse in Hollywood. “There are these pedophile rings that exist in Hollywood. What I intend to do is draw back a cloak and shine a light on this darkness,” Herman said, according to BuzzFeed. Singer’s lawyer, Marty Singer (no relation), denied the allegations. “It is obvious that this case was filed in an attempt to get publicity at the time when Bryan’s new movie is about to open in a few weeks,” Marty Singer told the AP. Bryan Singer’s latest film, X-Men: Days of Future Past, is scheduled to open in theatres next month.
