Jeff Herman, the Florida attorney representing Michael Egan, the 31 year-old man suing “X-Men” director Bryan Singer for sexually abusing him as a teenager, said “I expect I’ll be filing many more (lawsuits). I intend to expose every Hollywood pedophile and predator I can identify.”
Already Herman has added three high-profile names to his list of defendants. That’s all well and good, but Herman thus far has only brought forward a single accuser.
The accusations against Singer and three other Hollywood execs are shocking and horrifying. This is one of the reasons the story has received so much attention from an entertainment media that is structured to protect and promote the entertainment business as opposed to hold it accountable (see: Polanski, Roman). But those shocking and horrifying charges include the claim that a famous director and a bunch of rich Hollywood players set up a successful pedophilia ring over a number of years.
Where are the other victims and/or witnesses?
Without corroboration of some kind, the lawsuit becomes a he-said/he-said with a sole plaintiff using an embarrassing 15 year-old allegation to win money from a rich film director.
But the allegations are such that the lack of other accusers and/or witnesses will be even more glaring and undermining to the lawsuit.
Thus far I’ve remained an agnostic in this case. The charges need to be taken serious and on a human and legal level, so does the presumption of innocence of everyone accused. But every day that passes without a new victim and/or witness coming forward, the more skeptical I become.
You don’t blow the lid off a pedophilia ring by piling on accusations. You need witnesses.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC