Author Neil Gaiman and his wife Amanda Palmer have been sued on charges of raping and trafficking their former babysitter. In a lawsuit filed on Monday, February 4, the woman accusing Neil of rape, Scarlett Pavlovich said that the couple took advantage of her knowing she was destitute and suffered from mental health issues. 

Advertisment

In addition to Neil, Scarlett also accused his wife Amanda of knowing her husband’s history of sexual misconduct at the time of hiring and never warning her. 

In her lawsuit, Scarlett alleges that Neil and Amanda used to live separately in different houses when she was hired as a live-in nanny. They used to live in houses on Waiheke Island near Auckland, New Zealand.

Also read: Not prostitutes, 'they were my girlfriends', says Sean Diddy in new indictment

Advertisment

From being hit with a belt to being abused as a "slave"

Over the next few months, Pavlovich alleges that Neil Gaiman repeatedly and violently raped her. He would choke her and hit her with a belt. In her lawsuit, Scarlett alleges that he would ask to be called her “master” while she was to behave like his “slave”.

“Gaiman engaged in many nonconsensual sex acts with Scarlett,” the suit states. “Those acts were abusive and demeaning… Scarlett endured those acts because she would lose her job, housing, and promised future career support if she did not.”

Advertisment

The suit accuses Gaiman of cultivating a reputation as a feminist, which caused her to think initially that he could be trusted. 

Scarlett alleges that these sexual assaults made her suicidal and that she had to be hospitalised at a psychiatric centre.

Kanye West and his wife Bianca Censori escorted out of Grammys after showing up uninvited and in a NAKED dress

Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault by 8 women

This is not the first time that Neil has been accused of sexual assault. A New York Magazine story last month reported such allegations made by eight women, including Pavlovich.

Neil Gaiman is a prolific writer-producer and author of comic books and novels. He has since been dropped from a series of projects since the allegations first came to light last summer. 

In a post on his website titled “Breaking the Silence,” Gaiman denied the allegations. He wrote, “I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.” 

Also read: When R Madhavan was fooled by AI video of Cristiano Ronaldo praising Virat Kohli

“Some of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened, while others have been so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality,” he wrote.