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Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman has been widely accused of sexual misconduct by another woman who claims he was frequently naked around her and allegedly masturbated while she slept next to him.
Documents filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court show the accuser was 21 when she met Elfman, 47, in New York. She is referred to as “Jane Doe” in court documents.
The lawsuit names Elfman and his company Musica de la Muerta and alleges he committed sexual assault, gender-based violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment and negligence against her from 1997 to 2002.
Read the complaint here.
The plaintiff allegedly met Elfman at a party in April 1997. They became friends and she accepted his frequent invitations to industry events, developing a relationship that she hoped would boost her own music career. Elfman asked her opinions on films and music and treated her as an “advisor and protégé,” court documents say.
The relationship took a turn one night in a hotel room when Elfman allegedly “removed all of his clothing until he was completely naked and walked around naked in front of Plaintiff, exposing his genitals.” Defendant Elfman expressed to Plaintiff that this the only option for him is to work, be creative and be successful.”
Plaintiff continued to see him repeating the nude tours and she claimed to have slept in the same bed dozens of times while he was naked and she was fully clothed and lying on the covers. Finally, Elfman allegedly told her that he masturbated during these sessions. Disgusted, she finally broke off the meeting with him.
Elfman was previously sued by composer Nomi Abadi, who sued Elfman in July for failing to pay a settlement reached in 2018. Abadi’s July statement of claim alleges that Elfman failed to pay $85,000 of an $830,000 settlement.
Rolling Stone reported that the 2018 lawsuit alleged that Elfman exposed himself and masturbated in front of Abadi on multiple occasions without her consent. Elfman ultimately entered into a settlement and nondisclosure agreement with Abadi. Elfman denied sexually harassing Abadi in the Rolling Stone article and issued a statement saying, “Ms. Abadi’s claims are simply not true.”
Elfman was the leader of the new wave band Oingo Boingo, which had its greatest success in the 1980s. He has worked with Tim Burton on the films Batman and Edward Scissorhands, and with Sam Raimi on Spider-Man and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He received Oscar nominations for “Men in Black,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Big Fish” and “Milk.”
Elfman is scheduled to be part of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert” at the Hllywood Bowl from October 27th to 29th.
Deadline has reached out to Elfman’s representatives for comment.