Second woman accuses Danny Elfman of sexual misconduct
A second woman is suing musician Danny Elfman for alleged sexual misconduct.
In a filing submitted on October 19th in Los Angeles Superior Court, a 47-year-old Maryland woman under the alias Jane Doe sued The Simpsons theme tune composer for sexual assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment and negligence. Elfman’s company, Musica de la Muerta, is also named in the filing.
According to Rolling Stone, Doe claims that she met Elfman in 1997 after meeting at a house party when she was 21 and Elfman was 47. They allegedly kept in touch for several years afterwards.
“Defendant Elfman suddenly removed all of his clothing until he was completely nude, and walked around naked in front of Plaintiff, exposing his genitals,” the suit says, per the publication. “He proceeded to go in front of the open window and stand there in an effort to expose his naked body and genitals. Defendant Elfman then coerced Plaintiff to take her clothing off and stand naked with him in front of the open windows in full view of the public. Defendant Elfman told Plaintiff that he hoped someone would look at them and that it was fun.”
The next time they allegedly saw each other, Jane Doe claims, “Defendant Elfman stripped nude and exposed his genitals again, and started taking a bath. He insisted that Plaintiff come to the bathroom and watch him take a bath.”
The suit alleges Elfman would expose himself to Jane Doe every time they saw each other after that. He allegedly told her that being naked “was the only way he could work, be creative, and successful”.
“Plaintiff always felt the imbalance of power and pressure to act a certain way around Defendant Elfman,” the suit continues. “Plaintiff felt like she had no choice but to always comply with his requests, and Plaintiff felt this was a condition of their continued relationship.”
Elsewhere, the lawsuit claims Elfman would sometimes sleep naked in the same bed next to the full-clothed Doe during a part of 1998 when she stayed at his home in Topanga Canyon, California, when looking for a home in Los Angeles. Then, in 2002, during a conversation, Jane Doe alleges the composer told her he masturbated next to her every time she slept next to him, which she says left her “horrified and shocked.”
“Defendant Elfman further explained that he enjoyed watching her sleep and would masturbate to her, anytime and every time,” the suit adds. “His fetish, which she did not consent to being a part of, required her to be sleeping.” It also claims that their friendship ended abruptly after that talk.
Responding to the new allegations through a spokesperson in Pitchfork, Elfman called them “baseless and absurd”, with his representative saying: “His legal team is assessing all options and he will vigorously defend these claims in court.”
Jane Doe is the second woman to accuse Danny Elfman of sexual misconduct. In July, musician and composer Nomi Abadi sued him for failing to make two payments of $42,500 as part of an $830,000 settlement from 2018. Elfman vehemently refutes Abadi’s claims.
He said at the time: “Ms. Abadi’s allegations are simply not true. I allowed someone to get close to me without knowing that I was her ‘childhood crush’ and that her intention was to break up my marriage and replace my wife.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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