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A former nanny has filed three civil lawsuits against best-selling British author Neil Gaiman and his wife, musician Amanda Palmer, accusing Gaiman of repeatedly sexually assaulting her while she worked for the couple, CBS News reported last week.
Scarlett Pavlovich filed the lawsuits Monday in federal courts in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and New York. The filings state that Pavlovich was homeless and living on a beach in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2020 when she met Palmer, who invited her to the couple’s home on Waiheke Island. Over time, Pavlovich began running errands, babysitting their son, and assisting with household chores, but the lawsuit claims she was “generally not paid for these tasks” despite the ferry trip between Auckland and Waiheke costing between $40 to $59 NZD.
According to the lawsuits, Palmer first asked Pavlovich to babysit in February 2022, and on the night they met, Gaiman allegedly sexually assaulted her. The legal documents state that the couple was separated at the time. Pavlovich alleges that the assaults continued and that she remained in their employment due to financial hardship and Gaiman’s assurances that he would support her writing career.
The lawsuit further alleges that when Pavlovich disclosed the assaults to Palmer, she was told that more than a dozen women had previously come forward with similar accusations against Gaiman. According to the filings, Palmer claimed Gaiman had financially compensated some of these women, in some cases paying hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The lawsuit states that the abuse ended only after Pavlovich told Palmer she was suicidal. She subsequently left the household and became homeless again. The legal documents indicate that Gaiman later paid her for her childcare services and covered her rent for a few months.
Pavlovich’s lawsuit also alleges that Palmer knowingly facilitated the abuse, presenting her to Gaiman with the understanding that he would assault her. She is seeking at least $7 million in damages, claiming that Gaiman and Palmer violated federal human trafficking laws.
Earlier this year, Pavlovich publicly identified herself in an interview with New York Magazine, which detailed allegations from eight women accusing Gaiman of sexual assault, abuse, and coercion.
Following the New York Magazine article, Gaiman issued a statement in January denying all allegations of non-consensual sexual activity. “I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever,” he wrote on Tumblr.
The allegations first surfaced publicly in July through a Tortoise Media podcast that included claims from four women.
Gaiman and Palmer have not responded to requests for comment on the lawsuits, and online court records do not list attorneys representing them in the case. Pavlovich’s legal team noted in the filings that while Gaiman is a resident of Menomonie, Wisconsin, they are unsure whether Palmer currently resides in Massachusetts or New York.
Pavlovich also told New York Magazine that she filed a police report in January 2023 accusing Gaiman of sexual assault. However, police have not confirmed whether Gaiman was ever under investigation.
The allegations have had significant professional repercussions for Gaiman. Publishers HarperCollins and W.W. Norton have announced they will no longer release his books, while other publishers, including Bloomsbury, have declined to comment.
Dark Horse Comics stated in January that it would cease publication of its illustrated series based on Gaiman’s novel Anansi Boys, stopping after the release of the seventh of eight planned editions. Disney has also put its planned adaptation of Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book on hold. Meanwhile, Netflix is still scheduled to release a second season of The Sandman, based on Gaiman’s popular comic book series.
