NEW YORK (AP) – More than three dozen women have filed a lawsuit in New York against writer-director James Toback, accusing him of sexual abuse.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court, comes after New York state last month introduced a year-long window for people to file sexual assault lawsuits, even if they happened decades ago, and statutes of limitations to renounce.
Allegations that Toback had been involved in sexual abuse for years surfaced in late 2017 and were first reported by the Los Angeles Times as the #MeToo movement gained attention.
In 2018, Los Angeles prosecutors said the statute of limitations had expired on five cases they reviewed and they declined to pursue criminal charges against Toback.
Information on Toback’s attorneys or representatives was not available; he has denied the allegations against him.
Fifteen of the women are named as plaintiffs in the New York lawsuit, while another 23 are listed as Jane Does; Along with Toback, the Harvard Club of New York City is also listed as a defendant, with some of the women claiming to have been abused there.
An email has been sent to the club for comment.
Toback was nominated for an Academy Award for writing “Bugsy” in 1991, and his career in Hollywood has spanned more than 40 years.