Danny Elfman accused of sexual misconduct by second woman

Musician and composer Danny Elfman has been accused of sexual misconduct by a second woman, according to a lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone.

The lawsuit, which was filed anonymously by a Jane Doe accuser in Los Angeles on Thursday (October 19), claimed that Elfman frequently exposed himself to her and allegedly told her that he masturbated next to her while she was asleep and couldn’t consent to the act. A representative of Elfman has denied the allegations.

The suit comes three months after fellow composer Nomi Abadi previously accused Elfman of exposing himself and harassing her in 2017, before reaching a settlement of $830,000 (£645,000) to silence the claims. Abadi filed the lawsuit in July over breach of contract, alleging that Elfman missed multiple payments related to the settlement.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, a representative for Elfman denied all of the allegations. “The allegations of misconduct made against Mr. Elfman are baseless and absurd,” the rep said. “His legal team is assessing all options and he will vigorously defend these claims in court.”

Attorney Jeff Anderson, who is representing both Abadi and the Jane Doe accuser, told the outlet: “It’s important to this Jane Doe that Nomi knows she’s not alone anymore, that what was done to her by Elfman mirrors in so many ways what was done to Nomi.”

Anderson added that the Jane Doe accuser spoke out to send a message to those who “made efforts to destroy the lives of others who found the courage to speak up.”

Responding Abadi’s previous allegations, Elfman claimed they were “vicious and wholly false,” adding: “I have done nothing indecent or wrong, and my lawyers stand ready to prove with voluminous evidence that these accusations are false.”

Elfman’s representative also claimed that the settlement with Abadi was made because his client was forced into making “impossible choice between settling and continuing his career and earning a living for his family or deciding to fight what at the time was an unwinnable battle to tell the truth”.

In response, Abadi’s lawyer called the comments “directly contrary to the position he maintained in the underlying dispute and to the evidentiary record”.

Last year, Elfman brought The Nightmare Before Christmas to London, performing at Wembley Arena with Phoebe Bridgers appearing as Sally.

Elfman also worked on the original score alongside Chris Bacon for Netflix’s recent smash-hit series Wednesday, with The Nightmare Before Christmas collaborator Tim Burton serving as executive producer.

Next October, Elfman is slated to perform at the Hollywood Bowl, where he’ll reprise his role as Jack Skellington for the Bowl’s The Nightmare Before Christmas show.

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