Russell Brand has been accused in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting an extra on the set of the 2011 romantic comedy Arthur in New York.
The complaint, filed Friday, was brought in state court under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which gives accusers a year to file a lawsuit over alleged non-recent sexual abuse , even if the limitation periods have expired.
This lawsuit follows a recent wave of allegations reported in the British media against the 48-year-old actor and comedian by several women accusing him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior, over a seven-year period, between 2006 and 2013.
Brand denied accusations made by four women in an investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches and said his relationships were always consensual.
British police said they were investigating some of the allegations. No arrests have been made.
Brand’s representatives in New York and London did not immediately respond to Reuters news agency’s requests for comment on the new lawsuit.
Warner Bros. Pictures, which distributed the film Arthur, was also named as a defendant, along with other companies involved in the film’s production. They were accused of negligence and aiding and abetting Brand by tolerating his misconduct on set. Warner Bros. did not respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency.
The complaint was filed by a woman identified only as Jane Doe, who said she was hired to appear as an extra in a scene.
The film was a remake of a 1981 film starring Dudley Moore in the title role.
The lawsuit alleges that Brand was visibly intoxicated during production and exposed his genitals to the plaintiff while he sat at a table and watched her, “openly and obviously in the presence of everyone on set,” including movie studio employees who treated his behavior as acceptable.
Afterward, according to the complaint, Brand followed the woman into the restroom, where he pulled down her pants again, then pushed her into a stall and forced her to perform oral sex on him, while a member of the production team stood just outside as if to guard him. the door.
The accuser claims the assault caused “severe psychological injuries” and economic losses. The suit seeks unspecified damages from Brand for assault, battery, false imprisonment and emotional infliction.
Brand, the former husband of American pop singer Katy Perry and once one of Britain’s most high-profile comedians and television presenters, has repositioned himself in recent years as an Internet social commentator, with more than 6 million of followers on his YouTube channel.
YouTube said in September that it had blocked Brand from generating additional revenue from the online video platform in light of his alleged sexual misconduct.
