“X-Men” director Bryan Singer is denying allegations in a lawsuit filed last week that he sexually abused an underage boy as part of a sordid ring of Hollywood sex parties nearly 15 years ago.
Singer said in his first statement since the claims were filed on April 16 that allegations he assaulted then 17-year-old accuser Michael Egan are “outrageous, vicious and completely false.” However, the director said he will be bowing out of the press tour for his upcoming “X-Men: Days of Future Past” to avoid bringing negative attention to the film.
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“I do not want these fictitious claims to divert ANY attention from X-Men: Days of Future Past. This fantastic film is a labor of love and one of the greatest experiences of my career,” Singer said in a statement. “So, out of respect to all of the extraordinary contributions from the incredibly talented actors and crew involved, I’ve decided not to participate in the upcoming media events for the film.”
The director called the suit, which alleges Singer plied Egan with drugs and alcohol to encourage compliance with a range of supposedly unwanted sexual activity, a “sick twisted shake down,” and insisted the facts would vindicate him.
Egan claimed that the alleged abuse began during “notorious parties” at a house in Encino, Calif. where adult men — including Singer — supposedly preyed on young boys and continued during trips to the Paul Mitchell Estate in Hawaii in late 1999, when Egan was 17. The suit was filed in federal court in Hawaii last week due to the state’s temporary suspension of the statute of limitations on child sex abuse civil lawsuits.
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On Monday, Egan and his attorney Jeff Herman filed three additional lawsuits against other Hollywood executives who they allege also abused Egan during the Hawaii trips.
During the Monday press conference announcing the additional suits, Herman called into question Singer’s lawyer, seasoned Hollywood attorney Marty Singer’s assertion that he had phone records and receipts that proved his client was in Toronto shooting the first “X-Men” film during the time in question, not in Hawaii.
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“In this case it’s interesting, because immediately the case that I filed last week against Bryan Singer, his lawyer stated that the claims were fabricated,” Herman said at the time. “I find that to be an unusual statement for a lawyer, because as lawyers we are not witnesses to the events, and to make a statement that claims are fabricated before he’s taken a deposition, before he’s looked at any evidence we have, is a bit surprising to me.”
Marty Singer fired back with a detailed response claiming that Herman did not seek out all the evidence before filing the suit, which he did without giving advance notice to the director.
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Read Singer’s full statement here:
The allegations against me are outrageous, vicious and completely false. I do not want these fictitious claims to divert ANY attention from X-Men: Days of Future Past. This fantastic film is a labor of love and one of the greatest experiences of my career. So, out of respect to all of the extraordinary contributions from the incredibly talented actors and crew involved, I’ve decided not to participate in the upcoming media events for the film. However, I promise when this situation is over, the facts will show this to be the sick twisted shake down it is. I want to thank fans, friends and family for all their amazing and overwhelming support.