Author Neil Gaiman and estranged wife sued for sexual assault
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Neil Gaiman denied allegations of inappropriate sexual relations in a January blog post.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WILMINGTON, Delaware – English best-selling author Neil Gaiman and his estranged wife were sued by a New Zealand woman who is seeking millions of dollars for alleged sexual abuse and human trafficking while she worked for them as a nanny and babysitter, according to three lawsuits filed on Feb 3.
Ms Scarlett Pavlovich said Gaiman, author of The Sandman comic book series (1989 to 1996) and the novel American Gods (2001), repeatedly raped her while she worked for him and American singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer in 2022, causing physical, mental and emotional harm.
Palmer, 48, was accused of knowing that Ms Pavlovich was vulnerable, and failing to warn her that Gaiman had a history of predatory behaviour, according to court papers.
The couple were named as defendants in Ms Pavlovich’s lawsuit filed in the federal court in Madison, Wisconsin. Palmer is the sole defendant in Ms Pavlovich’s federal lawsuits filed in Manhattan and Boston.
Gaiman, 64, owns a property in Wisconsin and Palmer is a resident of either New York or Massachusetts, according to the lawsuits.
Gaiman denied allegations of inappropriate sexual relations in a January blog post, following media reports on the allegations.
“I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever,” he wrote. Gaiman has not been criminally charged.
Palmer’s representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Feb 4.
The lawsuits seek unspecified damages that are “reasonably believed” to exceed US$1 million (S$1.35 million) on multiple claims.
According to court papers, Palmer met Ms Pavlovich in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2020, when Ms Pavlovich was 22 and homeless, and was aware Ms Pavlovich suffered from mental health problems.
Then in 2022, when Palmer and Gaiman were living separately on Waiheke Island near Auckland, Palmer allegedly asked Ms Pavlovich to begin babysitting the couple's child.
Desperate for money and housing, Ms Pavlovich agreed, but soon, Gaiman began sexually abusing her, including by raping her, choking her and assaulting her in the presence of his child, according to court papers.
The abuse allegedly lasted several weeks, until Gaiman and his child left for Europe.
Ms Pavlovich said Palmer told her that more than a dozen women, including several former employees, had complained to her about abusive sexual encounters with Gaiman.
According to court papers, Ms Pavlovich filed a police report accusing Gaiman of sexual assault, but the police did nothing because Palmer refused to talk with them.
Misconduct allegations against Gaiman began to surface publicly in July 2024, and Dark Horse Comics said in January it would no longer publish his works.
Gaiman’s comic books and novels include Good Omens (1990), Coraline (2002), How To Talk To Girls At Parties (2006) and The Graveyard Book (2008). REUTERS
