Sexual assault lawsuit against Danny Elfman is dismissed

A sexual assault lawsuit against musician and composer Danny Elfman has been dismissed by a judge.

The lawsuit was filed anonymously by a Jane Doe accuser in Los Angeles last October, who 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. She claimed that the alleged abuse took place between 1997 to 2002 when she was in her early twenties and Elman was in his late forties. A representative of Elfman denied the allegations at the time.

On Wednesday (September 4), Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa K. Sepe-Wiesenfeld granted Elfman’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, ruling that Jane Doe “shall take nothing from this action.” This is down to the plaintiff’s claims that she was often asleep when the alleged assaults took place, per Rolling Stone.

Judge Sepe-Wiesenfeld also ruled that she provided “only speculative statements that it is possible she could have been sexually assaulted”, and that many of the complaints are too old to pursue.

In a statement, Elfman’s lawyer says, “The Court’s dismissal of this case confirms what we have said all along — that these claims are meritless.”

According to reports from Rolling Stone, Jane Doe’s lawyer has said that she stands by her initial claims.

The suit came last year, three months after composer Nomi Abadi accused Elfman of exposing himself and harassing her in 2017, before reaching a settlement and non-disclosure agreement of $830,000 (£645,000). Abadi filed the lawsuit in July 2023 over breach of contract, alleging that Elfman missed multiple payments related to the settlement.

In July, Abadi then sued Elfman over the statements he made to Rolling Stone last year which were included in a piece about a settlement he made to her following her accusations of his repeated sexual harassment and misconduct toward her.

Abadi’s suit claimed that Elfman “peddled appalling lies for publication to Rolling Stone about Nomi.” It also claims that the alleged lies made by Elfman and his representatives – which claimed that he did not engage in sexual misconduct toward Abadi – allegedly painted Abadi as “a failed temptress who lied about him for reasons of revenge and greed,” (per Rolling Stone).

“Defendant Elfman lied about Nomi, branding her as a scorned woman attempting to break up his marriage, and as someone who initiated nude photography,” read the suit. “As a result of Elfman and his representatives’ defamations, Nomi has suffered humiliation, both personally and professionally, within their shared composing industry, and online, and harm to her professional reputation and her occupation as a composer, musician, and educator.”

A representative for Elfman denied all allegations in October last year, telling Rolling Stone in a statement: “The allegations of misconduct made against Mr. Elfman are baseless and absurd.” They added: “His legal team is assessing all options and he will vigorously defend these claims in court.”

Elfman still faces both lawsuits from Abadi.

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