Neil Gaiman calls ex-babysitter ‘a fantasist' after sexual assault allegation
Neil Gaiman has claimed his child's former babysitter is a 'fantasist who has fabricated a tale of abuse against me' after she made allegations of sexual assault.
The British author, 64, called for an around seven million dollar (£5.6 million) lawsuit made by Scarlett Pavlovich in the US to be dismissed.
Ms Pavlovich alleged Gaiman sexually assaulted her and claimed his estranged wife, American singer Amanda Palmer, had told her about previous complaints from more than a dozen different women.
The author, known for creating the Stardust, Good Omens, American Gods, and Coraline works, wrote in court documents that 'none of Pavlovich's claims are true', before adding: 'She is a fantasist who has fabricated a tale of abuse against me and Ms Palmer.'
He added that the 'alleged conduct claimed and described in the complaint, all supposedly occurred in New Zealand', where he was living with his wife prior to Palmer and Gaiman announcing their divorce in 2022.
Gaiman said that shortly after hiring Ms Pavlovich in February 2022 to look after his son with Palmer, they engaged in 'sexual activity', which he said was consensual – providing proof to the court of text messages between the pair.
He also named people who could be called on as witnesses, and attached Ms Pavlovich's contract which included a 'strict confidentiality' clause.
Gaiman also claimed she 'engaged in a media campaign to publicise her alleged claims before filing the complaint'.
Ms Pavlovich's lawsuits, filed in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New York, also claim the couple violated laws on federal human trafficking, with complaints of assault, battery and inflicting emotional distress against Gaiman and negligence against Palmer.
A police report was made in New Zealand accusing Gaiman of sexual assault in 2023, with officers later dropping the investigation – which the author notes in his filing to the Wisconsin court.
Palmer previously wrote on Instagram that she 'will not respond to the specific allegations being made against me except to say that I deny the allegations', and added that her 'heart goes out to all survivors'.
Since eight allegations were made against Gaiman in New York Magazine in January, his publisher Dark Horse Comics cancelled another comic book of the Anansi Boys series.
The UK stage adaptation of his book Coraline has also been scrapped, and the estate of English author Sir Terry Pratchett removed him from a project funding proposal for a Good Omens comic book.
In January, Netflix said that a TV series of Gaiman's dark fantasy work The Sandman, starring British actor Tom Sturridge, will end with its second series later this year.
Following a Tortoise Media podcast that interviewed five women in July last year, a film of The Graveyard Book have also been reportedly shelved, and the continuation of Good Omens starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen has been said to have been reduced.
In a blog post, Gaiman said he had read the allegations, which he denies, with 'horror and dismay' and said he was 'not as thoughtful as I could or should have been' and he is still 'learning'.
He also wrote: 'I'm far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.'
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