Neil Gaiman's ex-wife responds to sexual assault lawsuit: 'I deny the allegations'
Neil Gaiman's ex-wife responds to sexual assault lawsuit: 'I deny the allegations'
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Neil Gaiman denies sexual assault, abuse allegations
Neil Gaiman has denied allegations of abuse and sexual assault made by multiple women.
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Amanda Palmer, ex-wife of Neil Gaiman, is speaking out after she was named in a sexual assault lawsuit filed against the British author.
Palmer, a singer-songwriter known for her work in the duo The Dresden Dolls, issued a statement on Instagram Friday after she was accused of helping Gaiman acquire "free sexual services and labor" from their child's former nanny in 2022 and enabling her rape. Palmer and Gaiman share 9-year-old son Anthony.
"I thank you all for continuing to respect my recent request for privacy as I navigate this extremely difficult moment," Palmer wrote. "I must protect my young child and his right to privacy."
In a federal civil lawsuit filed in Wisconsin on Monday, Scarlett Pavlovich claimed Gaiman "repeatedly raped" her while she worked as a live-in nanny for Palmer and Gaiman in their New Zealand homes. At the time, she was around 24, while Gaiman was 61.
She accused Palmer, who is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, of "procuring and presenting (Pavlovich) to Gaiman for such abuse."
Addressing the lawsuit in Friday's post, Palmer said she won't respond to the "specific allegations being made against me except to say that I deny the allegations and will respond in due course," adding, "My heart goes out to all survivors."
Palmer's former spouse has been accused of sexual assault by nearly a dozen women after U.K. media outlet Tortoise published a six-episode podcast series last summer outlining several allegations of abuse. As recently as January, Gaiman has denied participating in any "non-consensual sexual activity."
Background: Neil Gaiman sued for allegedly trafficking, 'repeatedly' assaulting former nanny
Scarlett Pavlovich claims Amanda Palmer knew about alleged Neil Gaiman abuse
In her lawsuit, Pavlovich said she met and became acquaintances with Palmer in Auckland in 2020, and in February 2022, Palmer asked Pavlovich to babysit over a weekend. Gaiman allegedly first raped Pavlovich on Feb. 4, 2022, after sending his child to a friend's house and suggesting she bathe in his garden bathtub.
Following Palmer's alleged offer of employment as a live-in nanny, a "desperate" Pavlovich — who needed "secure employment and affordable housing" — accepted the job. Pavlovich claimed that during her employment, Gaiman sexually assaulted her vaginally and anally on multiple occasions, at points causing her to experience "overwhelming" pain and bleeding. She also said Gaiman ordered her to "call him 'master'" while referring to her as a "slave."
'I don't accept there was any abuse': Neil Gaiman denies sexual assault allegations
She claimed that during this time, Gaiman and Palmer "intentionally withheld Scarlett's pay" and that it took months to get paid. Pavlovich alleged Gaiman later approached her and paid her invoice for services but also required her to sign "an employment agreement" in exchange for rent money, to which she agreed.
The woman claimed Palmer showed negligence as she "knew that Scarlett was an abuse survivor who had suffered mental health challenges in the remote and recent past." Pavlovich said she told Palmer about the alleged abuse, but Gaiman's wife "expressed no surprise" and allegedly said other women had confided in her with similar stories about him.
Pavlovich is seeking at least $1 million in damages, claiming the former couple "abandoned" her after the alleged abuse, which left her "alone, penniless, and struggling."
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
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