Jeff Herman, a high-profile sexual assault attorney, held a press conference on Monday afternoon in Los Angeles to outline the latest complaint filed against famed Hollywood director Bryan Singer on behalf of John Doe No. 117, a British teen whom the director and an associate allegedly assaulted.
The sexual assault suit will be the second Mr. Herman has filed against Singer; the attorney is also representing plaintiff Michael Egan in a separate suit filed against the director late last month.
Mr. Herman began the press conference by saying that in 2003, Singer’s associate, Gary Goddard, allegedly contacted John Doe No. 117, then 14 years old, and allegedly told him he had the “right kind of looks” to be an actor.
After allegedly asking for and receiving a headshot of the teen, Goddard allegedly began asking for more explicit photographs, in what Herman called the beginning of a “grooming” period, in which the teen thought he had entered into a mentor-like relationship with Goddard.
The attorney continued, saying that Goddard and the teen allegedly engaged in nude video calls, and that Goddard had allegedly masturbated on at least one of these calls. Herman then produced one of the photographs his client allegedly sent Goddard, in which the teen is shown shirtless, one of several pieces of evidence the attorney presented during the press conference that could be used in a potential trial.
When the boy turned 16, Goddard allegedly took a trip to London, where he allegedly met the boy, fed him alcohol, and engaged in anal intercourse with him, according to Herman. During that year, on another trip to London, Goddard allegedly told the boy he knew Bryan Singer, and made a phone introduction between the two.
The following year, when the boy was 17, Goddard and Singer allegedly took a trip to London for the premiere of a new Superman movie, and allegedly invited the teen to be Singer’s guest on the red carpet and at after-parties following the premiere. Herman then held up a photograph purportedly showing the teen with Singer and another actor at one of the after-parties. The attorney reiterated that none of the actors present at the after-party are being investigated, but still asked, “What are these other people thinking when this young boy is hanging out at this party?”
According to the complaint, Singer and Goddard next allegedly invited John Doe to an “after” after-party in a hotel bedroom, where they allegedly proceeded to sexually touch and grope the teen, who was becoming more and more uncomfortable and asked the men to stop. At this point, Goddard allegedly left the room and returned with a large, muscular man, who allegedly proceeded to hold John Doe down while the director continued to touch the boy. After repeatedly pleading with both Singer and Goddard, saying he didn’t want to have sex, Singer allegedly told the teen to lie on top of him and masturbate. The teen, believing this to be the only way to safely extricate himself from the situation, did what Singer said and wasn’t raped.
Mr. Herman said his client is now 25 years old, and lived silently with his abuse for years before learning of Michael Egan’s recent sexual assault lawsuit filed against Singer late last month, which the attorney claimed gave his client the motivation to finally come forward. Mr. Herman called his client “very brave” for coming forward, and encouraged other abuse victims not to stay silent.
Mr. Herman also said he planned to bring further sexual assault lawsuits against even more Hollywood “sex rings,” saying he knew of at least one, perhaps two, cases involving both male and female actors, managers, agents, and studios, although he wouldn’t give a specific timeframe for filing the complaints. Herman said he was investigating allegations of underage teens being brought to film studios for “grooming,” and called the practice “vile.”
Mr. Herman produced several other pieces of evidence at the press conference, including an email allegedly sent between John Doe and Goddard, and a card Goddard allegedly attached in a gift box to the teen, which included chocolate from the Hershey’s store in Times Square and was signed, “Love, Gary.” The attorney also claimed that Goddard sent John Doe a message through the Internet this past Saturday or Sunday, before the lawsuit was filed, asking how he was doing. Herman said his client did not respond to Goddard.
Mr. Herman also indicated that John Doe would testify in person in court if necessary, saying his client would either maintain his anonymity through court-approved methods, or else shed his anonymity entirely as the case progresses.
Photo: Daniel Nussbaum/Breitbart News