Author Neil Gaiman has denied a number of sexual assault allegations against him. Photo / Getty
Author Neil Gaiman has denied a number of sexual assault allegations against him. Photo / Getty
Warning: This story discusses allegations of sexual assault. A list of helplines is available at the bottom of the page.
Scarlett Pavlovich, whopublicly accused Neil Gaiman of sexual assault last month, has filed lawsuits against the author and his estranged wife, Amanda Palmer, alleging Gaiman sexually abused her after Palmer hired her to work for them as a live-in nanny in New Zealand.
The lawsuits accuse Palmer of “procuring and presenting” Pavlovich to Gaiman to rape and sexually abuse - allegations that were first raised in a Tortoise Media podcast last year, and further detailed in a New York Magazine cover story published last month that included interviews with multiple women who accused the author of sexual assault.
Neil Gaiman. Photo / Getty
Representatives for Gaiman and Palmer, who separated several years ago, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuits, which were filed in federal court in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New York on Monday.
Gaiman resides in Wisconsin, while Palmer lives in either Massachusetts or New York, according to the lawsuits. Following the New York Magazine story, Gaiman posted a statement on his website: “I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.”
“As there are ongoing custody and divorce proceedings, I am not able to offer public comment,” Palmer, a musician and former member of cabaret-rock duo Dresden Dolls, posted on Instagram last month. “Please understand that I am first and foremost a parent. I ask for privacy at this time.”
Pavlovich said in the lawsuits that she had met Palmer in Auckland, in 2020, when she was 22. Pavlovich shared with Palmer that she was financially struggling, homeless and sleeping on a beach, and was working through mental health issues stemming from a sexual assault when she was 15, according to the lawsuit.
For the next two years, the lawsuits state, Pavlovich ran errands and babysat for Palmer on Waiheke Island, where Palmer and Gaiman lived in separate homes.
(The Washington Post does not identify victims of alleged sexual abuse without their consent. After this article was initially published, The Post received permission to name Pavlovich.)
According to the complaint, Gaiman began sexually assaulting Pavlovich the night they met in February 2022, when she arrived at his house to babysit Gaiman and Palmer’s child. He told her that Palmer had said he “couldn’t have” Pavlovich, telling him about the younger woman’s past trauma and warning that he would “seriously harm” her if he initiated a sexual relationship, the lawsuits state.
Amanda Palmer at Q Theatre in Auckland in January 2024.
Palmer was “clearly aware of the danger that Gaiman posed”, the lawsuits state, but did not disclose any concerns or knowledge of past misconduct to Pavlovich.
Gaiman and Palmer initially did not pay Pavlovich for babysitting, the lawsuit alleges. When Palmer offered to make her a live-in nanny, Pavlovich was “desperate for secure employment and affordable housing”, the lawsuit states, and Gaiman, the best-selling fantasy author of books such as Coraline and American Gods, had promised to help her writing career.
Pavlovich accepted the role, and Gaiman allegedly continued to assault her, one time with his child in the same room and another time hurting her badly enough that she lost consciousness, the lawsuits state.
When Pavlovich told Palmer about the assaults, Palmer allegedly told her that more than a dozen women, including several former employees, had accused Gaiman of sexually abusing them, according to the lawsuits. Palmer found temporary accommodation in Auckland for Pavlovich, who was later hospitalised after she told Palmer she had become suicidal. After Pavlovich was released from the hospital, she was homeless once again.
The lawsuits described Pavlovich as “an economic hostage” to Palmer and Gaiman, though Gaiman eventually paid her for her work and helped cover her rent for a few months.
Since the allegations first surfaced last year, several of Gaiman’s public events and projects have been cancelled, including, in recent weeks, the Anansi Boys series at Dark Horse Comics and a musical adaptation of Coraline.
