Bestselling British author Neil Gaiman and his wife, Amanda Palmer, are facing three civil lawsuits filed by New Zealand woman Scarlett Pavlovich, who accuses Gaiman of repeated sexual assault while she worked as their nanny.
Pavlovich filed the lawsuits in federal courts in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and New York on Monday. She publicly identified herself in a January interview with New York Magazine, which detailed allegations from eight women against Gaiman.
According to the lawsuits, Pavlovich was homeless when she met Palmer in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2020. At 22, she was invited to the couple’s Waiheke Island home, where she took on babysitting and household duties before officially becoming their nanny. The lawsuits allege Gaiman first assaulted her in February 2022, and the abuse continued as he promised to support her writing career. She remained in their employment due to financial hardship.
Pavlovich claims Palmer was aware of Gaiman’s behavior and had previously heard similar allegations from other women. The assaults allegedly ended when Pavlovich expressed suicidal thoughts to Palmer. She later left the family, became homeless again, but was eventually paid for her work and assisted with rent for a short period by Gaiman.
The lawsuits accuse Gaiman and Palmer of violating federal human trafficking laws, seeking at least $7 million in damages. Gaiman denied all allegations in January, stating on Tumblr that he has “never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone.” Representatives for both Gaiman and Palmer have not responded to media inquiries, and court records do not list attorneys for them.
Following these allegations, HarperCollins and W.W. Norton announced they would not publish Gaiman’s future works, while Dark Horse Comics ended its illustrated Anansi Boys series. Disney has paused its adaptation of The Graveyard Book, but Netflix is still moving forward with season two of The Sandman.
Source: Swifteradio.com
