Author Neil Gaiman — whose many popular fantasy novels have been adapted for film and TV — was accused of sexual assault by numerous women in 2024. He has published a blog post denying the allegations, but more information about one of those women and her experience with the writer has emerged: Scarlett Pavlovich, who had previously identified herself in an interview with New York Magazine last month, has filed three new civil lawsuits against Gaiman and his ex-wife, musician Amanda Palmer, accusing Gaiman of repeatedly sexually assaulting the plaintiff while she was working for the couple as a babysitter and nanny.
UPDATE (2/10, 4:23 p.m. ET): Palmer has now denied the allegations, posting a statement to her Instagram over the weekend.
"I thank you all deeply for continuing to respect my recent request for privacy as I navigate this extremely difficult moment. I must protect my young child and his right to privacy," she wrote. "With that as my priority, I will not respond to the specific allegations being made against me except to say that I deny the allegations and will respond in due course."
Palmer added, "My heart goes out to all survivors."
Pavlovich filed lawsuits in the states of Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New York, claiming Gaiman had sexually assaulted her the first time they met in a report for Vulture and later raped her while she was working for him and his then-wife. Further, the former couple stand accused of violating human trafficking laws.
As the Associated Press reports, Pavlovich claims to have first met Palmer on a beach in Auckland, New Zealand, at age 22 in 2020. In the filing, the plaintiff said she was broke and homeless at the time, so when Palmer invited her to their home on Waiheke Island, she began running errands for the couple and babysitting their shared child. Eventually, Pavlovich became Gaiman and Palmer's nanny.
When Pavlovich claims Gaiman first assaulted her in 2022, he and Palmer were separated and living in different houses. The lawsuit explains that the assaults continued, but the plaintiff didn't report them for many months because of her precarious financial and living situation, and the author had allegedly promised to help with her aspiring writing career. Pavlovich eventually told Palmer about the assaults — to which she allegedly said, "Fourteen women have come to me about this."
The plaintiff alleges that the assaults continued until she told Palmer she was going to kill herself. Pavlovich then left the position and became homeless again, although the court documents point to Gaiman paying her for her work and helping to cover rent for a few months. The lawsuit argues that, since Palmer knew of Gaiman's history and his sexual desires before introducing Pavlovich to him, the couple violated federal human trafficking prohibitions. Pavlovich is seeking $7 million USD in damages.
Palmer broke her silence on the allegations against Gaiman earlier this month, writing, "As there are ongoing custody and divorce proceedings, I am unable to offer public comment."