Bryan Singer has joined, or re-joined, the list of alleged sexual predators embroiled in the ongoing sexual abuse scandal in Hollywood.
As accusations of sexual harassment and abuse continue to bring down some of the most influential filmmakers, producers and actors in the U.S., renowned X-Men director Bryan Singer, 52, is being sued for allegedly raping a 17-year-old boy on a yacht in Seattle in 2003.
Singer vehemently denies the allegations. The lawsuit claims that the yacht in question was owned by a rich tech investor, Lester Waters. The alleged sexual assault took place during a party, including Singer and the plaintiff, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman.
According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ , the X-Men filmmaker forced Sanchez-Guzman to perform oral sex, before sodomizing the then 17-year-old boy. Singer was 38 at the time of the alleged incident.
After the alleged sexual assault, Singer told Sanchez-Guzman that he was a famous Hollywood producer who could help him kickstart his acting career in return for staying silent about the incident, according to the lawsuit filed in state court in Seattle.
Singer then allegedly threatened to ruin the boy’s life by saying that no one would believe him if he ever went public about the incident, adding that he could hire people “who are capable of ruining someone’s reputation.” The lawsuit was filed just three days after the director was axed from Bohemian Rhapsody , the biopic about Freddy Mercury.
In the suit, Sanchez-Guzman alleges that the incident in question took place in one of the rooms on the yacht. The plaintiff, who is now 31, claims that Singer forced him to the floor, “shoved Cesar’s face against his crotch area and demanded Cesar perform oral sex on him.”
Sanchez-Guzman is seeking damages related to suffering from “severe psychological, mental and emotional injuries, shame, humiliation and loss of enjoyment of life” all these years after the alleged incident took place in 2003. Sanchez-Guzman is being represented by attorney Jeff Herman, who also represented Michael Egan in his 2014 sexual abuse lawsuit against Singer and three other powerful Hollywood men.
The lawsuit was eventually dropped by Egan. At the time, Singer’s attorney, Martin Singer (no relation), defended his client by saying that the director had been careful about avoiding sexual acts with underage individuals.
“Any time Bryan has a party, he makes certain and is very careful that there is a strict guest list,” Singer’s attorney told The Hollywood Reporter over three years ago.