Bryan Singer, his lawyers and the lawyer of his accuser Michael Egan agreed to an out-of-court settlement for $100,000 in June, according to documents obtained by Buzzfeed.
In the “memorandum of settlement,” the documents appear to be signed by Singer, his attorney Martin Singer (no relation) and Egan’s attorney Jeff Herman, but not Egan himself. The documents also call for confidentiality and non-disparagement from all parties and lawyers.
Also read: ‘X-Men’ Director Bryan Singer Accused of Sexually Assaulting Underage Boy
Herman told TheWrap Tuesday in a statement, “We are in the process of withdrawing from representing Mr. Egan in all his cases and have no further comment concerning his matters at this time.” The statement continues, “We cannot comment on any actual or purported documents that may or may not be or reflect privileged or confidential communications. We decline to speak about any other clients we may or may not have represented.”
Martin Singer has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
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Egan told Buzzfeed he never agreed to the settlement. “This exact kind of take-it-and-shut-up deal is why I decided to stand up in the first place. Being silenced goes completely against what I believe in and offers no protection for other vulnerable children,” Egan said.
Egan filed his civil lawsuit against the “X-Men” director on April 16, 2014, in federal court in Hawaii. The next day Egan and Herman held a news conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills to announce details of the allegations.
Also read: ‘X-Men’ Director Bryan Singer Sexual Assault Allegations: Read the Full Lawsuit
According to the documents obtained by TheWrap, Egan claimed he was 17 when he was forced to perform various sexual acts with Singer during the late-1990’s.
The court papers alleged Singer “manipulated his power, wealth, and position in the entertainment industry to sexually abuse and exploit the underage Plaintiff through the use of drugs, alcohol, threats, and inducements which resulted in Plaintiff suffering catastrophic psychological and emotional injuries.”
Also read: Bryan Singer Files Motion to Dismiss Michael Egan’s Sexual Abuse Lawsuit (Updated)
Shortly after the filing, the director’s attorney Martin Singer released a statement saying, “We are very confident that Bryan will be vindicated in this absurd and defamatory lawsuit.” He added, “It is obvious that this case was filed in an attempt to get publicity at the time when Bryan’ s new movie is about to open in a few weeks.”
Singer was referring to his client’s film, “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” which was released one month after the lawsuit was filed.
Also read: Michael Egan Sex Ring Lawsuit Against Garth Ancier Dropped
Egan also filed suits against several other Hollywood executives, including Garth Ancier – a television executive who formerly ran programming at Fox, the WB and BBC Worldwide America — and former Disney executive David Neuman.
Ancier was accused of abusing Egan, then 15, and forcibly sodomizing him while they were on a trip to Hawaii; Neuman was also alleged to have had inappropriate sexual contact with Egan on that trip, though Neuman claimed to have not been present.
Also read: Former NBC Exec Garth Ancier Sues Michael Egan, His Attorneys Over Sex-Abuse Claims
Both of those suits were later dropped, as was a suit brought against Broadway producer Gary Goddard, who was accused of “grooming” Egan.
A separate suit filed by attorney Herman on behalf of someone under the protective pseudonym John Doe No. 117, alleges that Goddard contacted the plaintiff via the internet while he was a teenager in Britain, began a relationship with him via webcam, and then later began a sexual relationship with him. Singer was named as a co-defendant in the case, which Goddard has filed a motion to have dismissed.
Anita Bennett and Jordan Zakarin contributed to this report