UPDATE: A spokesperson for Danny Elfman has responded to the accusations raised in the lawsuit filed against him on Thursday.
“The allegations of misconduct made against Mr. Elfman are baseless and absurd. His legal team is assessing all options and he will vigorously defend these claims in court.”
EARLIER: Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman has been accused in lurid detail of sexual misconduct by another woman, who claims he frequently was naked in her presence and allegedly masturbated while she slept next to him.
Documents filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court said the accuser was 21 when she met the 47-year-old Elfman in New York. She is referred to as “Jane Doe” in the court papers.
The lawsuit names Elfman and his company, Musica de la Muerta, alleging that he committed sexual assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment and negligence on her from 1997 to 2002.
The plaintiff allegedly met Elfman at a party in April of 1997. They became friendly and she accepted his frequent invitations to industry events, developing a relationship that she hoped would boost her own music career. Elfman asked her opinions on films and music and treated her as “a consultant and protegé,” court documents claim.
The relationship took a turn one night in a hotel room, when Elfman allegedly “removed all of his clothing until he was completely nude, and walked around nude in front of Plaintiff, exposing his genitals. Defendant Elfman expressed to Plaintiff that this was the only way he could work, be creative, and successful.”
The Plaintiff continued to see him, wherein he repeated the nude walkabouts, and she claimed to have slept dozens of times in the same bed while he was nude and she was fully clothed and on top of the covers. Eventually, Elfman allegedly told her that he masturbated during those sessions. Disgusted, she finally broke off seeing him.
Elfman was previously accused by composer Nomi Abadi, who sued Elfman in July for failure to pay on a settlement reached in 2018. Abadi’s July filing alleges that Elfman failed to pay $85,000 of a $830,000 settlement.
Rolling Stone reported that the 2018 lawsuit alleged that Elfman exposed himself and masturbated in front of Abadi without her consent on several occasions. Elfman eventually entered into a settlement and nondisclosure agreement with Abadi. Elfman denied that he sexually harassed Abadi in the Rolling Stone article, issuing a statement that said, “Ms. Abadi’s allegations are simply not true.”
Elfman was the leader of the New Wave band Oingo Boingo, which had its biggest success in the 1980s. He has collaborated with Tim Burton on the films Batman and Edward Scissorhands, and with Sam Raimi on Spider-Man and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He earned Oscar nominations for Men in Black, Good Will Hunting, Big Fish and Milk.
Elfman is scheduled to be part of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert” at the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 27-29.
Deadline has reached out to Elfman’s representatives for comment.