‘X-Men’ director Bryan Singer sued in sexual abuse case involving Michael Egan
A former child model and aspiring actor is accusing “X-Men” franchise director Bryan Singer of sexually abusing him as a teenager and filed a federal lawsuit in Hawaii on Wednesday. The suilt claims the popular director forced Michael Egan III into sex during parties in California and Hawaii when he was 17 in the late 1990s.
“It is obvious that this case was filed in an attempt to get publicity at the time when Bryan’s new movie is about to open in a few weeks,” said Marty Singers aid in a statement adding that the claims are absurd and defamatory
The lawsuit claims Egan was lured into a sex ring with promises of auditions for acting, modeling and commercial jobs. He was paid as an actor for a digital entertainment company, but forced to have sex with adult men at parties allegedly powerful within Hollywood’s entertainment industry, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit says that Bryan Singer attended several of the parties and forced Egan into sex, giving him drugs and threatening Egan when he resisted advances. It does not accuse the director of luring Egan into the ring.
“Hollywood has a problem with the sexual exploitation of children,” Egan’s attorney Jeff Herman said in a statement Wednesday night.
The lawsuit does not specify a total dollar amount, but says Egan is seeking more than $75,000 on each of four accusations: intentional infliction of emotional distress, battery, assault and invasion of privacy.
The lawsuit is possible in Hawaii because of a state law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations in sex abuse cases.
Bryan Singer, 48, has had a successful career behind the camera, directing several movies including “The Usual Suspects,” ”Superman Returnn,” “Jack the Giant Slayer” and the upcoming “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”
Herman has made a career of representing victims of sex abuse, filing lawsuits against organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church and Boy Scouts of America. In 2011, Herman won a $100 million verdict against a Catholic priest who was accused of molesting dozens of boys.
Marty Singer represents many of Hollywood’s elite and is no relation to the director.
