Russell Brand assault trial evidence could come from lengthy ‘Arthur’ outtakes footage

A civil case brought against Russell Brand in the US has been offered hours of outtakes from his 2011 film Arthur to be used in court.

In 2023, Brand was sued by an unnamed extra, using the pseudonym Jane Doe, accused Brand of exposing himself to cast members before sexually assaulting her in a bathroom on the set. Brand and studio Warner Bros are both named as defendants. Both parties deny the allegations.

According to The Times, last week Brand’s lawyer, Mark Cuccaro, said in the New York Supreme Court that his client had “reasonable belief criminal prosecution is possible in the US based on allegations tantamount to criminal sexual misconduct occurring in the US, of which he has been falsely accused both by this civil plaintiff and several others through the media”.

Warner Bros’ lawyer, Patrick Lamparello, also offered to submit outtakes of Brand in the film as part of evidence. He said the studio had “some hours of video outtake footage … four or five hours, it could be more, around eight”.

Filming for Arthur took place in Los Angeles, although the city’s police department said they had no open investigation into Brand. Lawyers for the comedian sought a delay in the case, suggesting there was an “overlap” with a current criminal case in the UK. Judge Shlomo Hagler rejected their request.

This civil case comes as Brand was charged on April 4 with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005. The Metropolitan Police say he has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault. The charges relate to four separate women, according to BBC News. He is due to appear in court on May 2, the UK case relates to separate claims to the US civil suit.

The same day, Russell Brand released a statement denying the allegations via Instagram. In the video, captioned “my response”, he denied all allegations made against him.
“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile, but what I never was, was a rapist,” he stated. “I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”

He concluded: “I’m now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that”.

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