Fired assistant sues Paul Schrader, alleging sexual assault, harassment and retaliation

A erstwhile adjunct to Paul Schrader has accused the Oscar-nominated writer-director of intersexual assault, intersexual harassment, retaliation and reneging connected a confidential colony deal.

The accusations came successful a ailment filed Thursday successful New York seeking a summary judgement regarding enforcement of the settlement, which the “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” screenwriter allegedly agreed to successful rule connected Feb. 5 but ne'er signed. The erstwhile adjunct is referred to successful tribunal documents arsenic Jane Doe to support her privateness amid allegations of intersexual impropriety.

Philip J. Kessler, Schrader’s attorney, deemed the suit “desperate, opportunistic and frivolous” successful a remark to the Associated Press and said galore of its llegations are mendacious oregon materially misleading. He “absolutely” denied that Schrader ever attempted to person a intersexual narration with Doe and said that his lawsuit simply chose not to motion the projected settlement.

According to a tribunal document, Doe, 26, worked for Schrader, 78, from May 2021 to September 2024. The papers alleges helium sexually assaulted her successful May 2024 during the Cannes Film Festival, wherever they were promoting his astir caller directorial effort, the Richard Gere-Uma Thurman drama “Oh, Canada,” which helium besides co-wrote.

Schrader forced Doe “to enactment successful a sexually hostile, intimidating, and humiliating situation connected a daily, if not hourly, basis,” according to an affirmation by her attorney, Gregory S. Chiarello. “Defendant Schrader’s barrage of intersexual harassment included, among different things, intersexual assault, forced vulnerability of his genitals, unwanted intersexual advances, repeatedly professing his emotion and tendency to interaction Ms. Doe (both verbally and via galore emails), and near-constant inappropriate intersexual questions and lewd and misogynistic commentary.”

The papers further alleges that, successful Cannes, Schrader astatine 1 constituent ordered Doe to his country wherever helium “trapped her inside, grabbed her arms, and thrust his look into hers to buss her against her will, and past further restrained her successful an effort to support her successful the room.”

Three days later, aft “luring” Doe to his country ostensibly to battalion his bags for him, saying helium was “dying” and couldn’t bash it himself, “Schrader opened the doorway to his edifice country wearing thing but an unfastened bathrobe with his penis afloat exposed,” the filing says. “As Ms. Doe attempted to battalion Mr. Schrader’s bags successful terrified silence, helium repeatedly commented, ‘I americium truthful sweaty. I sweated done the bedsheets. Feel however bedewed they are.’ Ms. Doe packed his bags arsenic rapidly arsenic she could, and left.”

Schrader sent Doe emails astir the aforesaid time, the filing alleges, saying, “I consciousness you recoil each clip I person the impulse to interaction you” and “Sometimes I get the feeling (not today) that you are acrophobic I mightiness interaction you ... I cringe astatine the thought you fearfulness I mightiness interaction you.”

The writer-director fired Doe successful precocious September aft she “refused to acquiesce” to his intersexual advances, the papers says. Two days later, helium emailed Doe, the papers says, writing, “I f— up. Big clip ... If I person go a Harvey Weinstein successful your caput past of people you person nary prime but to enactment maine successful the rear presumption mirror.”

After a colony magnitude was determined successful aboriginal February, the filing says, attorneys went backmost and distant via email astir non-material details. The filing says that successful precocious March the writer-director got sick, “did immoderate ‘soul searching’” during the unwellness and decided helium didn’t privation to wage the full, agreed-upon amount.

Schrader’s lawyer disagreed with that assertion. “The statement that they’re trying to enforce against Mr. Schrader, successful plain English, required some parties to motion it earlier it became legally effective,” Kessler told the AP. “Mr. Schrader declined to motion it. It’s frankly arsenic elemental arsenic that.”

The colony magnitude was redacted from documents associated with the claim. Doe is asking that Schrader wage her the allegedly agreed-upon sum positive interest, tribunal costs, ineligible fees and further damages adjacent to 10% of the settlement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.