Neil Gaiman and Wife Sued for Rape and Human Trafficking of Babysitter

Author Neil Gaiman was accused in a lawsuit on Monday of repeatedly raping his former babysitter, repeating allegations that were first raised in a Tortoise Media podcast last year.

Scarlett Pavlovich also sued Gaiman’s wife, Amanda Palmer, alleging that she knew of his history of sexual misconduct when she hired Pavlovich to work for them. The suit accuses both Gaiman and Palmer of human trafficking.

Gaiman and Palmer are alleged to have taken advantage of Pavlovich, knowing she was destitute and had suffered with mental health issues. At the time she went to work for them as a live-in nanny, the couple lived in separate houses on Waiheke Island, near Auckland, New Zealand.

Over the next few months, Pavlovich alleges that Gaiman repeatedly and violently raped her. He also choked her and hit her with a belt, called her his “slave,” and demanded that he call her “master,” the lawsuit alleges.

“Gaiman engaged in many nonconsensual sex acts with Scarlett,” the suit states. “Those acts were abusive and demeaning… Scarlett endured those acts because she would lose her job, housing, and promised future career support if she did not.”

The suit accuses Gaiman of cultivating a reputation as a feminist, which caused her to think initially that he could be trusted. By the end, Pavlovich states that she was suicidal, and had to be hospitalized at a psychiatric center.

A New York Magazine story last month included allegations from eight women, including Pavlovich.

Gaiman, a prolific writer-producer and author of comic books and novels, has been dropped from a series of projects since the allegations first came to light last summer. “The Sandman,” his Netflix series, is due to conclude with its second season this year.

In a post on his website entitled “Breaking the Silence,” Gaiman denied the allegations.

“I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone,” he wrote. “Ever.”

Gaiman did admit to being “selfish,” and said he regretted having been “careless with people’s hearts and feelings.” But he was adamant that it never crossed a line into abuse.

“Some of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened, while others have been so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality,” he wrote.