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JamesG

04-17-2014, 10:11 AM

X-Men Director Accused of Sex Abuse in Lawsuit
by OSKAR GARCIA
Apr. 17, 2014

A former child model and aspiring actor is accusing X-Men franchise director Bryan Singer of sexually abusing him as a teenager in a federal lawsuit filed in Hawaii.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday says the prominent director of the forthcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past forced Michael Egan III into sex during parties in California and Hawaii when he was 17 in the late 1990s.

Singer's attorney, Marty Singer, said in a statement that the claims are absurd and defamatory.

"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," said Marty Singer, who said he is not related to the director.

The lawsuit claims Egan was lured into a sex ring with promises of auditions for acting, modeling and commercial jobs. He was paid as an actor for a digital entertainment company, but forced to have sex with adult men at parties notorious within Hollywood's entertainment industry, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit says that Bryan Singer attended several of the parties and forced Egan into sex, giving him drugs and threatening Egan when he resisted advances. It does not accuse the director of luring Egan into the ring.

"Hollywood has a problem with the sexual exploitation of children," Herman said in a statement Wednesday night.

The lawsuit does not specify a total dollar amount, but says Egan is seeking more than $75,000 on each of four accusations: intentional infliction of emotional distress, battery, assault and invasion of privacy.

The Associated Press does not typically name victims of sex abuse, but is naming Egan because the lawsuit was filed civilly, Egan's lawyer Herman identified him and said Egan planned to speak publicly.

The lawsuit is possible in Hawaii because of a state law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations in sex abuse cases.

Bryan Singer, 48, has had a lengthy career behind the camera, directing several movies including The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns and Jack the Giant Slayer.

Herman has made a career of representing victims of sex abuse, filing lawsuits against organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church and Boy Scouts of America. In 2011, Herman won a $100 million verdict against a Catholic priest who was accused of molesting dozens of boys.

Marty Singer represents many of Hollywood's elite, recently winning a case for actor Ryan O'Neal in which the Oscar-nominee was accused of improperly taking an Andy Warhol portrait of his longtime partner Farrah Fawcett without permission after her death.

He also represented John Travolta in a series of lawsuits filed by masseurs who accused the actor of inappropriate conduct during massages.

http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/x-men-director-accused-sex-abuse-lawsuit

Vahan

04-17-2014, 10:16 AM

He was 17 years old when he was abused, and he's now 31. Why did it take him this long to say something? I'm not calling anyone a liar, but it's suspicious.

Also, far from being a pedophile.

JamesG

04-19-2014, 12:50 AM

Bryan Singer Accusations Affect Marketing Plans for Next X-Men
4/18/14
by Gregg Kilday

As a legal battle ramps up pitting director Bryan Singer against a man accusing him of sexual abuse, both 20th Century Fox and ABC find themselves caught in the crossfire as they attempt to launch new projects from the filmmaker.

Singer had been scheduled to be part of a presentation of Fox's upcoming slate at WonderCon, the comics convention taking place this weekend in Anaheim, Calif. But that appearance has been canceled, and Simon Kinberg, who wrote the screenplay and also served as one of the producers on X-Men: Days of Future Past, will be on hand instead to represent the film.

Singer had also been on the guest list at the Creativity Conference at which Vice President Joe Biden is to speak on May 2 in Washington, D.C. The conference is sponsored by the MPAA, Microsoft and ABC News. A source told THR that Singer no longer plans to attend.

Reps for the MPAA and for Singer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ABC has also pulled promo spots that mentioned Singer's name as executive producer of its new series "Black Box", which premieres April 24. Singer's production company Bad Hat Productions produces the new series which stars Kelly Reilly as a neuroscientist struggling with mental illness.

The network had no comment on its decision.

The accusations aimed at the director are likely to complicate Fox's marketing efforts on its upcoming $205 million movie.

Fox is scheduled to release X-Men: Days of Future Past, the latest installment in its X-Men series, in the U.S. on May 23. Singer, who directed the first two X-Men movies, returns to the franchise as director and producer of the new film, which will have its world premiere in New York City on May 10.

In the wake of a lawsuit filed Tuesday by Michael F. Egan, accusing Singer of sexually abusing him during his teenage years, Fox issued a statement, saying, "These are serious allegations, and they will be resolved in the appropriate forum. This is a personal matter, which Bryan Singer and his representatives are addressing separately."

Marty Singer, Bryan Singer's attorney, has called the allegations in the lawsuit "absurd and defamatory."

Fox has no plans to postpone the opening of the X-Men movie, which begins a worldwide rollout on May 20. But it will probably have to revamp some of its marketing plans.

Although no final decisions have been made amid ongoing discussions, it is expected that Singer will step back and assume a low profile and may avoid the movie's scheduled premiere screenings and junkets altogether.

In his lawsuit, Egan, now 31, alleges Singer drugged and raped him and offered movie roles in return for sexual favors when Egan was between the ages of 15 and 17. At a news conference this week, he also alleged that his mother reported the alleged abuse to the FBI in Los Angeles in 2000.

An FBI spokesman confirmed that a complaint had been made but added, "The suggestion that the FBI ignored evidence involving the victimization of a child is ludicrous."

According to Singer's attorney, Marty Singer, "The claims made against Bryan Singer are completely without merit. We are very confident that Bryan will be vindicated in this absurd and defamatory lawsuit. 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."

Egan also filed a previous suit in 2000 with similar charges directed at men involved in a 1999 party, which is also referenced in the Singer suit, but Singer was not named in that earlier suit.

Commenting on that development, Marty Singer told THR, "It's clear that these statements are fabricated. If Bryan had done anything wrong, he would have been included in the previous lawsuit."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bryan-singer-accusations-affect-marketing-697633

Tubehead

04-19-2014, 09:57 PM

no offense why do they wait for long time? shouldn't the boy told about the abuse why wait like 13 years?

JamesG

04-21-2014, 07:58 PM

Bryan Singer Accuser Names Three Hollywood Insiders in New Sex Abuse Lawsuits
4/21/14
by Jonathan Handel, Rebecca Ford

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.

Ancier is a veteran programmer who oversaw the launch of Fox television and The CW, and also previously served as president of BBC Worldwide America.

He created "The Ricki Lake Show", "21 Jump Street" and "In Living Color".

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 also produced several off and on-Broadway shows.

He created numerous attractions for Universal Studios, including the Jurassic Park ride.

Herman made the announcement at a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The event was also attended by plaintiff Michael Egan and Egan's mother, who broke in 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 Hollywood sex ring that involved Singer. Egan's lawyer says Egan was sexually abused by all three men at both the Encino home and in Hawaii, and that force was used.

"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, who said she found out about the sexual abuse when Egan 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.

Herman has made waves in the past week for a lawsuit on behalf of Egan, who claims he was raped by Singer when Egan was 17 in both Hawaii and California.

Herman and Egan held a press conference on April 17, where Egan said that he was sexually abused by the X-Men director beginning at age 15 through age 17. The alleged conduct that took place 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.

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."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bryan-singer-accuser-names-three-697972

TMC

04-22-2014, 12:20 AM

JamesG

04-22-2014, 04:40 PM

Hollywood Execs Sued by Bryan Singer Accuser Deny Sex Abuse Allegations
4/22/14
by Jonathan Handel

TV executive Garth Ancier, former Disney TV president David Neuman and Broadway producer Gary Goddard, all of whom were sued Monday for forcible child sexual abuse by Michael Egan, have denied the allegations -- Neuman in a series of tweets, and Ancier and Goddard through their lawyers.

Egan's lawyer last week sued director Bryan Singer and accused him of similar allegations. Singer’s lawyer has denied those allegations and said he has documents and witnesses to prove that Singer was not in Hawaii at the times the alleged abuse occurred.

In contrast, Egan’s lawyer, Jeff Herman, says he has witnesses who will place Singer in Hawaii at those times.

All four lawsuits allege wrongful conduct in 1999 in Hawaii and Los Angeles, when Egan was 17 -- above the age of consent in Hawaii (16) but below it in California (18). Regardless of the age of consent, the suits also allege the use of force. The suit against Goddard includes an allegation of abuse in California when Egan was "approximately 15 years old."

At a Monday afternoon press conference at which he announced the three new suits -- filed, like last week’s, in Hawaii, because of a temporarily favorable statute of limitations -- Herman declined to say whether any of his witnesses had actually seen any of the four defendants having sex with Egan.

“All of the allegations made by the plaintiff against Garth Ancier are demonstrably untrue, and we are confident the courts will agree when the evidence is presented,” said Ancier's lawyer Louise Ann Fernandez of Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell.

“As just one of many examples, Mr. Ancier has never even visited the estate in Hawaii where the plaintiff claims to have encountered him. Mr. Ancier is grateful to his friends, family and colleagues for their support.”

Regarding the suit against his client, Goddard’s attorney, Alan Grodin of Weintraub Tobin, 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.”

In a series of five tweets Neuman 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 tweet, Neuman simply posted the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_bear_false_witness_against_thy_neighbour.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-execs-sued-by-bryan-698200

JamesG

04-24-2014, 05:39 PM

Bryan Singer Breaks Silence on Abuse Claims: "Outrageous, Vicious and Completely False"
4/24/14
by Rebecca Ford

Director Bryan Singer has broken his silence, releasing a statement responding to the allegations of sexual abuse brought against him.

"The allegations against me are outrageous, vicious and completely false. I do not want these fictitious claims to divert ANY attention from X-Men: Days of Future Past. This fantastic film is a labor of love and one of the greatest experiences of my career.

So, out of respect to all of the extraordinary contributions from the incredibly talented actors and crew involved, I've decided not to participate in the upcoming media events for the film. However, I promise when this situation is over, the facts will show this to be the sick twisted shakedown it is. I want to thank fans, friends and family for all their amazing and overwhelming support."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bryan-singer-breaks-silence-abuse-698754

JamesG

05-22-2014, 11:35 AM

Bryan Singer Files Motion to Dismiss Sex Abuse Case
5/21/14
by Jonathan Handel

Director Bryan Singer, who was sued last month in Hawaii by Michael Egan, III, for teen sex abuse that allegedly occurred there in 1999, filed a motion to dismiss the case Wednesday for lack of jurisdiction, quoting Egan’s own sworn deposition from 2003 to demonstrate that Singer was never in Hawaii with him and that Singer never sexually abused him.

The filing comes less than a week after defendant David Neuman filed a similar motion – one that also cited a separate 2003 statement in which Egan said he’d “never had any kind of physical contact” with Neuman other than non-sexual social contact and that Neuman “never acted improperly.”

Neuman also included declarations from numerous witnesses stating that he was not on the two 1999 Hawaii trips during which Egan alleges he was abused.

Both Singer’s and Neuman’s motions cite two passages in the deposition, which was taken in the course of a 2000 sex abuse lawsuit that Egan filed against three executives of the now-defunct Digital Entertainment Network, DEN.

In one passage, Egan says he’s “never had any trips outside the continental U.S.” with the 2000 defendants, contradicting assertions in the 2014 that he did go on such trips (in groups that he asserted included both the 2000 defendants and the 2014 defendants).

In another passage, Egan says in reference to “this thing that happened to you” that no one other than the 2000 defendants had been “partaking in all this stuff.”

The 2014 lawsuits, filed in Hawaii federal court against Singer, Neuman and two others – Garth Ancier and Gary Goddard – cover much the same time period and some of the same geography as the 2000 suit, yet the prior suit did not name the 2014 defendants.

Egan’s current counsel, Jeff Herman, has never offered an explanation of the omission despite publicly promising to obtain one. Nor has Egan’s counsel in the 2000 suit, who represented him as recently as 2011, provided any explanation as to why the 2000 suit didn’t name the four men whom Egan sued last month.

Indeed, Neuman, like the 2000 defendants, was a top DEN executive.

All four 2014 defendants have denied the allegations. They were each sued separately, but all of the suits are before the same judge, Susan Oki Mollway. Singer’s motion reserves the right to seek sanctions against Egan’s counsel, while Neuman has already served a sanctions motion.

Herman and his media director did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Singer’s motion to dismiss. However, Herman said last week, “Mike maintains that he was in Hawaii with the defendants and his mother maintains that she spoke to [2000 suit defendant] Chad Shackley and authorized him to take Mike to Hawaii on at least two occasions.”

Singer’s motion also includes a declaration in which Singer flatly denies all of the allegations, and states that he was in Canada for pre-production on X-Men during the late 1999 time period that two trips to Hawaii are alleged to have taken place, two with short side trips to New England and Los Angeles.

Singer also says that he has reviewed “telephone records, credit card statements, sales receipts, check stubs and other business records” that substantiate his presence in those three places, but copies of the documents are not included with the motion.

He also says that he has never resided in Hawaii, but says nothing about whether he might own property there.

Egan lives in Nevada and the four 2014 defendants in Los Angeles. The 2014 complaint premises the Hawaii court’s jurisdiction on the assertion that the alleged wrongful acts occurred there – but Egan’s sworn 2003 statements, which came to light last week, now cast doubt on the court’s jurisdiction and, indeed, on whether the allegations in the 2014 suit are true at all.

A hearing on Neuman’s motion to dismiss is scheduled for July 28. Egan’s response is not yet due, and it’s unknown what approach his counsel will take to the evidence that has surfaced.

Ultimately, Mollway has wide discretion in how to handle the motions: if she opts to decide them by simply reading the declarations and attachments, the legal burden of proof on Egan is quite light: thus, seemingly, if he declares that he was indeed in Hawaii with the 2014 defendants, that might suffice notwithstanding his apparently contradictory 2003 statements.

But the startling contrast between those statements and the new lawsuit, coupled with the white-hot publicity that Herman has sought and obtained in the case, may put pressure on the judge to resolve the jurisdictional matter more decisively, even if that inevitably means treading into an early resolution of the case itself.

If Mollway goes in this direction, she could order discovery – depositions, written questions, and exchange of documents – on the issue of jurisdiction, and could even demand that the witnesses appear before her in open court and tell their apparently conflicting stories while she looks them in the eye. Such a hearing would be unusual, but not beyond the judge’s power, and might be the only way to reliably determine just who was on the island of Oahu in 1999.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bryan-singer-files-motion-dismiss-706418

JamesG

07-30-2014, 01:08 AM

Bryan Singer Sex Abuse Accuser Dropped by Lawyer
7/29/14
by Austin Siegemund-Broka

With director Bryan Singer's motion to dismiss the teen sex abuse lawsuit filed against him by Michael Egan still pending in Hawaii, Egan's attorney Jeff Herman is withdrawing from the case, Herman said in a statement Tuesday.

The announcement follows a BuzzFeed report that Herman, Singer and the director's attorney Marty Singer (no relation) had signed an agreement to settle the case in June for $100,000, but that Egan had refused to sign.

BuzzFeed claims to have obtained the settlement agreement and a second document — a June 25 letter in which an attorney from Herman's firm wrote to Egan that the firm would represent three other clients and a potential fourth in sexual abuse cases against Singer.

Previously, only one other suit against the X-Men director had been reported, filed by an anonymous British actor referred to as "John Doe 117." Singer was dismissed from that case last week, but it remains pending against another defendant, Gary Goddard.

"We are in the process of withdrawing from representing Mr. Egan in all his cases and have no further comment concerning his matters at this time. We cannot comment on any actual or purported documents that may or may not be or reflect privileged or confidential communications. We decline to speak about any other clients we may or may not have represented," reads the statement from Herman's office.

"As Mr. Egan and his now ex-lawyers know, a legitimate claim in this type of case can run into the millions of dollars, so their willingness to resolve it for such a relatively low figure demonstrates their total lack of confidence in their chances for success. This was their way of trying to save face after an unsuccessful attempted shakedown of Bryan Singer," Marty Singer said of the settlement agreement in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Let us be clear, this in no way changes the fact that Bryan Singer is innocent of these unsubstantiated lies."

Egan filed suit in April against Singer and three other defendants — David Neuman, Garth Ancier and Goddard — claiming that they drugged him and forced him into sexual relations at parties in Hawaii starting when Egan was 15. All four defendants have vehemently denied the accusations. Singer has called them "outrageous, vicious and completely false," and his attorney Singer penned a scathing letter to Herman over the allegations.

The lawsuits against Neuman, Ancier and Goddard were all dropped after motions to dismiss from the defendants, and Ancier has sued Egan, Herman and attorney Michael Gallagher for malicious prosecution and abuse of process. The plaintiff has, however, filed a new suit against Neuman.

The defendants' motions to dismiss claimed that they had not been in Hawaii on the two 1999 occasions on which Egan alleges he was abused. They also cited a deposition given in 2003 by Egan himself in a separate sex abuse lawsuit he filed against executives of the now-defunct Digital Entertainment Network.

In the deposition, Egan had said that he had "never had any trips outside the continental U.S." with the DEN defendants, contradicting his 2014 assertions he had taken such trips with the earlier and the current defendants, and that no one but the DEN defendants had been "partaking in all this stuff," meaning the alleged abuse.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/bryan-singer-sex-abuse-accuser-722102?

JamesG

08-28-2014, 12:17 PM

Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against Bryan Singer Dropped
Aug 28, 2014
by Liz Raftery

The man who accused X-Men director Bryan Singer of sexually abusing him has dropped the lawsuit, People reports.

Michael Egan III sought to dismiss the lawsuit against Singer because he can't find a new lawyer to represent him, but not because the suit lacks merit, according to a court filing. A judge ruled Wednesday that Egan has the option to re-file the suit at a later date, according to People.

The judge denied Singer's request to have the case dismissed with prejudice, which would prohibit Egan from re-filing it.

Singer repeatedly denied the claims made by Egan, who accused the director of sexually abusing him on multiple occasions when Egan was 17.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Bryan-Singer-Sex-Abuse-Lawsuit-Dropped-1086336.aspx

JamesG

10-21-2014, 12:44 PM

Judge Scolds Hollywood Sex Accuser for Lying in Court (Exclusive)
10/21/14
by Jonathan Handel

In yet another blow to Michael Egan’s credibility, a Hawaii federal judge told the Hollywood sex accuser “not to lie to me” after Egan falsely claimed in court not to have received assistance with legal papers that in fact had been prepared and filed by a law office.

The unusual exchange took place at a Friday hearing in Honolulu and has not previously been reported.

Egan, whose accusations of teen sex abuse against director Bryan Singer and three others collapsed several months ago under the weight of Egan’s own prior sworn, contradictory statements, is now a defendant in a malicious prosecution suit filed by television executive Garth Ancier, who was one of the original defendants.

The Friday hearing – at which Egan appeared in person — concerned the question of whether Egan had help preparing and filing his response to Ancier’s suit.

Egan’s claim that he hadn’t was obviously “not true,” judge J. Michael Seabright told Egan, since the documents had been emailed from the law firm, Orange County’s Manly, Stewart & Finaldi. The papers also listed the firm’s office address in place of Egan’s — even though Egan purported to be appearing in court without a lawyer — and the documents read as though prepared by an experienced litigator.

Egan’s cases crumbled after prior sworn statements from 2003 emerged in which he indicated he had never been to Hawaii, had not been abused by anyone other than three Internet executives he had sued in 2000 and had not, in particular, been abused by Neuman.

All of Egan’s cases have since been withdrawn and Herman dropped his client.

Herman had also indicated that he expected to bring numerous additional suits, some of which would allege abuse of young males and some of young females. But in the end, the only other suit Herman filed was one against Singer and Goddard on behalf of an anonymous British actor referenced as John Doe 117. He too ultimately withdrew his suit.

Egan reportedly appears in filmmaker Amy Berg’s documentary about Hollywood sex abuse, An Open Secret, which is set to premiere next month at the fifth annual DOC NYC documentary festival in New York.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/judge-scolds-hollywood-sex-accuser-742505

comedyfreak

10-23-2014, 04:51 AM

He should get more than a scolding!! His allegations can ruin careers/lives, it's nothing to take lightly and lying in court?? Case dismissed.

JamesG

10-23-2014, 02:36 PM

He should get more than a scolding!! His allegations can ruin careers/lives, it's nothing to take lightly and lying in court?? Case dismissed.

It wasn't about the allegations, it was about him getting assistance with legal papers when he said he said he didn't get help.

JamesG

09-03-2015, 05:09 PM

Hollywood Sex Abuse Accuser Invokes Fifth Amendment 400 Times in Deposition
by Jonathan Handel
9/2/15

Hollywood sex abuse accuser Michael Egan, placed under oath for the first time since filing his now withdrawn lawsuits against four industry figures, declined to reiterate his allegations and instead asserted his Fifth Amendment rights more than four hundred times in the course of a four-hour deposition, a transcript filed Wednesday in federal court shows.

The deposition is part of a countersuit by television executive Garth Ancier, who – along with director Bryan Singer and two others – was sued by Egan last year for molestation that had allegedly occurred in 1999.

Those suits collapsed in the face of Egan’s prior contradictory testimony and were withdrawn. All four men had denied the allegations.

Ancier and another former defendant, David Neuman, were exonerated in June of this year when Egan’s former attorneys, Jeff Herman and Mark Gallgher, admitted that the teen sex abuse claims against them were “untrue and provably false” and paid a seven-figure settlement to Ancier and Neuman.

There were no apologies to Singer or the fourth defendant, Gary Goddard, as neither of them filed countersuits, but Egan’s cases against all four were framed in virtually identical complaints and centered on the same purported events, timeframes, locations and supposed trip(s) to Hawaii.

That settlement ended the countersuits against the attorneys, but Ancier’s litigation against Egan continues. Egan brought multiple “emergency motions” in an attempt to avoid the deposition, which finally was held on June 23.

Among the hundreds of questions Egan refused to answer under examination by Jeffer Mangels attorney Louise Ann Fernandez were:

“Did you lie in connection with your complaint in this case?”
“Were you ever sexually abused by my client, Garth Ancier?”
“Did my client Garth Ancier cause you damage of any kind?”
“Did you ever tell anyone that if all else failed you would go after gay Hollywood or words to that effect?”

Egan and his criminal attorney Mark Foster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Egan had spotlighted his lawsuits at a pair of white-hot press conferences at which he was flanked by his tearful mother and his then-lawyer. During those April 2014 media spectacles, Herman intimated that there would be many more suits to come. Only one materialized; it too was ultimately withdrawn. Correspondence later uncovered between Herman and Gallagher included a list of Hollywood gay men to target, including billionaire David Geffen.

Asked whether his lawsuit against Ancier was “part of a scheme to basically shake down rich gay people because you knew they were afraid of publicity,” Egan again took the Fifth.

Although the Fifth Amendment is a shield in criminal prosecutions, its role in civil matters is different: in such cases, the court and jury have the right to draw adverse inferences if someone takes the Fifth.

In a filing, Fernandez asked the court to do just that, and to deny a motion by Egan that attacks the settlement between his former attorneys and Ancier. In contrast, Egan’s papers argue in essence that the settlement apportions too little blame to Herman and Gallagher.

Egan was also previously scolded for lying by the federal judge in the case and pled guilty earlier this year in connection with unrelated fraud charges in which the prosecutors said he lied and forged documents over a five-year period. He is awaiting sentencing. Court documents disclose that the FBI has collected over 121,000 pages of evidence on Egan.

Notwithstanding his history of untruths, Egan remains a central figure in a documentary on Hollywood teen sex abuse, An Open Secret. The film was announced at about the same time as Egan’s 2014 lawsuits and the original version included the lawsuits as part of the movie. He remains a central character even in the final version.

Producers Gabe Hoffman and Matthew Valentinas have defended Egan’s role in the movie, even as they filed an arbitration against its director, Amy Berg, for allegedly delivering the movie late and incomplete, and failing to promote it; retaliated against Grease director Randal Kleiser, who appears briefly in the film; and got in a tussle with SAG-AFTRA over negative innuendo.

Asked by Fernandez whether he lied to Berg or the producers, lied in the documentary, or sought money or was promised a job for appearing, Egan repeatedly took the Fifth.

“An Open Secret clearly and accurately states in the film that none of the victims received any monetary compensation for their participation, and we stand by that 100%,” Hoffman told The Hollywood Reporter. “That extends to any such forms inclusive of all those you mention.”

He denied that anyone from his production entity, Esponda Films, had ever “discussed, promised, nor provided” money or a job to Egan “Not a chance,” said Berg, when THR asked whether her own company, Disarming Films, had offered Egan a job.

Like Egan, attorney Herman too has had serious credibility issues, having been previously suspended by the Florida Bar for eighteen months for dishonesty and barred for life from a federal court for a separate “credibility problem,” in the judge’s words.

Ancier’s efforts to hold Egan to account have traveled a long and difficult road. The countersuit was filed in June 2014, but Egan evaded service of process by Ancier for over a month before finally being served in a Las Vegas casino men’s room.

In March 2015, Neuman filed a countersuit as well which, like Ancier’s, continues against Egan. In aggregate, hundreds of legal documents have been filed in the two cases and Egan’s four initial lawsuits, and millions of dollars in legal fees expended in response to his accusations.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-sex-abuse-accuser-invokes-819962