Acclaimed author Neil Gaiman is being sued for alleged sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, coercion and human trafficking by a former nanny, who further claims Gaiman’s estranged wife Amanda Palmer has known about his “pattern of sexual misconduct” since 2015.
Scarlett Pavlovich filed a federal lawsuit Monday in Wisconsin under the Trafficking Victim Protection Act. She first accused Gaiman in a Vulture article last month alongside seven other women — some of whom first detailed their experiences on a U.K. podcast last year.
Gaiman denied any wrongdoing in a statement on his website following the article.
Pavlovich also filed lawsuits in Massachusetts and New York federal court, naming only Palmer as a defendant, “given the uncertainty” of which state she lives in; Pavlovich sued Gaiman in Wisconsin as the “Coraline” author resides in the local town of Menomonie.
“In an effort to conceal his misconduct, Gaiman has entered into several agreements to provide compensation to women he has victimized, in some cases, for hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Pavlovich claims in her filing, which alleges this began “no later than 2007.”
Pavlovich alleges she worked for Gaiman and Palmer in New Zealand as a nanny for their child in 2022 when she was 22 years old and that Palmer had befriended her before the former couple hired Pavlovich to babysit and help around the house in Waiheke.
“Scarlett was economically insecure during this time,” the lawsuit claims. “Scarlett had recently been unhoused and sleeping on the beach. Palmer was aware that Scarlett was economically insecure … [and] had been suffering from mental health difficulties.”
Pavlovich claims Gaiman insisted she take a bath when she first arrived, only for him to undress and join her. She alleges he “penetrated Scarlett’s rectum with his fingers,” which she objected to before he “also attempted to penetrate Scarlett’s rectum with his penis.”
Pavlovich further claims she lost consciousness due to pain during another forced sexual encounter and was once left bleeding after Gaiman hit and choked her with a belt. She also alleges being hospitalized for related mental health issues.
HuffPost has reached out to representatives for Gaiman and Palmer.
The filing alleges that when Pavlovich told Palmer about the abuses, the singer-songwriter showed no surprise and said that “more than a dozen women, including several former employees,” previously confided in Palmer, who promised to “take care” of Pavlovich.
“Taking care of Scarlett did not involve paying her,” states the lawsuit. “It did involve procuring temporary accommodation for Scarlett in Auckland. But this was not intended to help Scarlett escape. It was so that Scarlett would be available when Gaiman … returned.”
Gaiman reportedly frequently traveled for various business dealings and fan convention appearances at the time. In her lawsuit, Pavlovich accused Gaiman of raping her from behind while “talking to his child,” who was in the room during a 2022 stay in an Auckland hotel room.
Pavlovich claimed Monday that Gaiman and Palmer eventually paid her for her work, but the amount was wholly insufficient. She said she filed a police report against Gaiman, but it was dropped after Palmer refused to cooperate with law enforcement.
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Pavlovich is seeking damages “reasonably believed to be in excess of $1,000,000.” She cited emotional, physical and psychological damages, as well as alleged past and future income losses, punitive damages, PTSD, anxiety and depression, legal fees and more.
Dark Horse Comics announced last week that it is “no longer publishing” Gaiman’s work following the allegations. Furthermore, Netflix’s adaptation of Gaiman’s “The Sandman” will end with a second season, but Variety reports that it was apparently always meant to.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
