LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 16: Danny Elfman attends the world premiere of Netflix's "Wednesday" at Hollywood Legion Theater on November 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
On Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman has been accused of sexual misconduct.
A 21-year-old woman referred to as "Jane Doe" in the court papers, files a lawsuit against Elfman. The woman was claimed to be his second victim.
Second Victim Charges Elfman, Discloses Sexual Misconduct
According to the lawsuit, Elfman and his company, Musica de la Muerta, committed sexual assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment, and negligence on her from 1997 to 2002.
The second victim shared that she met Elfman at a party in April 1997. They became friends, and she started getting invitations from him to industry events. She thought she could build a relationship with Elfman to help her make a name in the music industry. Elfman treated her like an assistant and asked about her opinions on his music and films.
Their friendship became comfortable enough to be in a hotel room together. The plaintiff said that Elfman suddenly removed his clothes, walking around completely naked in their hotel room. Elfman responded that this was the only way to be productive, creative, and successful.
Their relationship continued despite the hotel room incident, wherein he repeated the nude strolls. She claimed to have slept dozens of times in the same bed while he was uncovered, and she was fully clothed and on top of the covers.
"Plaintiff felt like she had no choice but to always comply with his requests, and Plaintiff felt this was a condition of their continued relationship," the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit showed that Elfman took advantage of his power in the industry to make her accept such behavior that made her highly uncomfortable. However, in the long run, Elfman admitted to her that he masturbated during those times. She was disgusted by the act of Elfman and finally stopped seeing him.
Previous Accusations Against Elfman
Elfman was previously accused by composer Nomi Abadi, who sued Elfman in July for failure to pay on a settlement. Abadi's July filing claims that Elfman failed to pay $85,000 of a $830,000 compensation in 2018. He also masturbated in front of Abadi without consent several times.
Later on, Elfman compromised into a settlement and nondisclosure agreement with Abadi. Elfman also denied sexual allegations towards him and said, "Ms. Abadi's allegations are simply not true."
The new lawsuit against Elfman was filed under a so-called "window law," authorizing people who believe they were victims of sexual crimes to overturn the usual regulation of limitations and file legal complaints within a limited timeframe, as reported in The Guardian.
The California Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act came into power at the beginning of this year and remains in effect until 1 January 2026.
