Woman accuses comedian Brand of sexual assault on film set

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - LONDON — Russell Brand has been accused of sexually assaulting an extra on a film set in a civil lawsuit filed in the US.

During filming for the rom-com Arthur in July 2010 the comedian is alleged to have exposed himself to the anonymous woman before following her into a bathroom and sexually assaulting her.

Brand is facing accusations of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse after reports in the British media. He denies the allegations and says his relationships were “always consensual”.

Brand has yet to respond to the lawsuit.

British police have said they are investigating a number of claims made against Brand, but the case, filed with New York State Supreme Court on Friday, marks the first time any such accusations have been made in a lawsuit.

In an affidavit, the woman — referred to as Jane Doe — claims the actor had “appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol, and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set” before the assault on July 7, 2010.

He then exposed himself to his accuser in full view of the cast and crew, the papers say.

Later the same day the plaintiff says Brand entered the bathroom after her and assaulted her as “a member of production crew guarded the door from outside”.

Film studio Warner Bros Pictures and other companies involved in the production are also named as defendants.

The woman says as a result of the alleged abuse she suffers from extreme embarrassment, shame and fear as well as finding it difficult to trust others.

She says she has professional concerns about being named in association with the case as she still works as an actor and fears she could be “blacklisted in the industry”.

She is reported to be seeking unspecified damages from the British actor.

The document says she was initially booked for three days but after the assault was not brought back for the following days and only paid for one.

She also fears harassment from his followers should her identity be revealed, the papers say.

The case has been filed under the Adult Survivor’s Act, New York legislation which allows alleged victims of sexual offences for which the statute of limitations has passed to file civil suits for a one-year period between 24 November 2022 and 24 November 2023.

Allegations from four women towards Brand were first made in a joint investigation by the Sunday Times, Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches.

They claimed the actor had sexually assaulted them in the UK and Los Angeles during a seven-year period, between 2006 and 2013, when he held high-profile jobs at BBC Radio 2, Channel 4 and as a Hollywood actor.

Since then the Metropolitan Police said it was investigating allegations of sexual offences made following media reports about Brand, while Thames Valley Police is also looking into reports of harassment and stalking.

A day before the media investigation into Brand was published online, the comedian shared a video on social media where he denied the allegations.

In it, he denied “serious criminal allegations” he said were to be made against him, and said his relationships “were absolutely, always consensual”. — BBC