Russell Brand, who is already facing multiple accusations of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse following an investigation by the British media, has now been formally accused of sexual assault in a US lawsuit.
The suit, filed Friday with the New York State Supreme Court, alleges that Brand exposed himself to and sexually assaulted a film extra on the set of 2010’s Arthur, according to the BBC.
The unnamed plaintiff claims the actor had “appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol, and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set” on July 7, 2010, before exposing himself and then following her to a bathroom, where the alleged assault took place.
She also alleges that the exposure took place in front of the whole cast and crew, and that “a member of production crew guarded the [bathroom] door from outside” during the described assault.
The woman is reportedly seeking unspecified damages and also names Warner Bros. Pictures and other companies involved in the production as defendants.
She says that she is reluctant to reveal her identity as she is still a working actor and fears blacklisting in the industry, as well as possible harassment from Brand’s followers. She noted in the suit that she had been booked to work three days on Arthur, but following the alleged assault, was let go and only paid for one day of work.
The case has been filed under the Adult Survivor’s Act, which is state legislation which allows alleged victims of sexual offenses for which the statute of limitations has passed to file civil suits for a one-year period between Nov. 24, 2022 and Nov. 24, 2023.
The lawsuit follows accusations of four women who say Brand raped, sexually harassed and emotionally abused them between the years of 2006 and 2013 in a joint report by by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches.
The day after the report was published, a woman filed a police report accusing Brand of sexual assault in central London in 2003.
Following this, the Metropolitan Police launched an official investigation into the claims against Brand.
The agency has received a “number of allegations of sexual offenses in London,” as well as similar accusations elsewhere in the country. All of the accusations were announced as “non-recent.”
Brand has denied all of the claims and has not yet responded to the new suit. The Messenger has reached out for comment.
