New Accusations Against Bryan Singer Allege Filmmaker Assaulted Teen At '03 Yacht Party
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) — Director Bryan Singer has been accused in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy at a party more than a decade ago.
The lawsuit filed in Seattle claims Singer demanded sex from Cesar Sanchez-Guzman during a 2003 yacht party. After the then-teenager refused, the lawsuit says, Singer pushed him on the bed and sexually assaulted him.
According to the suit, the owner of the yacht where the alleged assault took place was Lester Waters, a Silicon Valley investor "who frequently hosted parties for young gay males in the Seattle area".
Days prior to the lawsuit being filed, Singer was dropped from the production of "Bohemian Rhapsody", a biopic of Queen singer Freddie Mercury. Singer had repeatedly been away from the set and did not return after Thanksgiving, according to Variety.
Attorney Jeffrey Herman is representing Sanchez-Guzman. Herman also represented aspiring actor Michael Egan, who in 2015 accused Singer and two other prominent Hollywood executives of molesting him when he was a minor.
That suit was later dropped and attorneys for Egan later apologized to the accused.
A representative says in a statement to The Associated Press on Friday that Singer "categorically denies these allegations and will vehemently defend this lawsuit to the very end."
In a statement Friday afternoon, the University of Southern California School Of Cinematic Arts issued a statement saying it would honor a request by Singer to remove his name from the school's Division of Cinema & Media Studies "until the allegations against him are resolved."
"The School means a great deal to Bryan, and while he intends to defend himself vigorously against these claims, he does not want the pending litigation to have any negative impact on his alma mater," the statement read.
Singer directed "Superman Returns" and several "X-Men" movies.
He is the latest in a wave of sexual harassment and abuse allegations against powerful men in the entertainment industry, media and politics that began in October with accusations against Harvey Weinstein.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
