Neil Gaiman's legal team have filed a motion to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit filed against the fantasy author by his and ex-wife Amanda Palmer's former babysitter and nanny, Scarlett Pavlovich.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual assault and violence. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
Pavlovich sued Gaiman in the states of Wisconsin, New York and Massachusetts last month, accusing him of repeatedly sexually assaulting and raping her, in addition to suing Palmer for trafficking, accusing the musician of "procuring and presenting [her] to Gaiman for such abuse." (Palmer denied these allegations.) The plaintiff filed after sharing her story with New York Magazine alongside seven others who have accused the writer of assault.
Gaiman, who has denied all of the allegations against him, submitted his own court declaration in addition to the motion to dismiss, wherein he called Pavlovich a "fantasist who has fabricated a tale of abuse" [via Rolling Stone].
Two exhibits of text message conversations between Gaiman and Pavlovich from 2022 through early 2023 were attached to the filing, with the author claiming that the exchanges "demonstrate, in Pavlovich's own words, that our relationship was consensual, and that Pavlovich was an enthusiastic participant who initiated many of our sexual encounters."
One of the text messages in question is a conversation referenced in the New York story, where Gaiman told Pavlovich about her concerns that one of her friends was "spreading all this stuff about me raping you" and "me tooing threats." In part, Pavlovich responded, "It was consensual (and wonderful!)," explaining that she thought her friend had been "triggered by something."
In the New York piece, the plaintiff said she was feeling "disconnected from everyone else" at the time, and was worried about upsetting Gaiman. Pavlovich's lawsuits described many of her encounters with the writer as "nonconsensual sex acts," including allegations that he "forc[ed] her into sexual conduct in front of Gaiman's child, and forc[ed] her to touch and lick feces and urine."
His attorneys noted that, in November 2022, the plaintiff reported her allegations to the police in New Zealand, where Palmer first met Pavlovich on a beach in Auckland in 2020: "Those allegations were thoroughly investigated by New Zealand police, and no charges were brought. In early April 2024, the New Zealand police closed the investigation."
Gaiman went on to allege that Pavlovich's lawsuits were "designed to pressure me into an unjust financial settlement."