Danny Elfman: Sexual abuse accuser sues composer for defamation

Film composer Danny Elfman was charged with defamation on Wednesday for making statements to Rolling Stone last year in an article detailing the sexual harassment allegations against him and a subsequent settlement and nondisclosure agreement to keep the allegations secret.

The libel suit filed by Los Angeles composer Nomi Abadi – in Los Angeles – comes one year after a Rolling Stone The investigation first brought to light her allegations that Elfman exposed herself and sexually harassed her in 2016 before she and Elfman reached an $830,000 settlement and a nondisclosure agreement a year later. Abadi filed a breach of contract suit related to the settlement last July, claiming that Elfman missed several payments. The matter was sent to arbitration late last year. In a motion earlier this month, Abadi’s lawyers claimed the arbitration had not yet been scheduled despite multiple attempts to find a date with Elfman’s lawyers.

“The defendant Danny Elfman spread appalling lies for publication to Rolling Stone about Nomi, who had previously truthfully stated facts in a previous lawsuit confirming his propensity to sexually abuse women,” the lawsuit states. “Why? As part of a harebrained ‘zero-sum plan’ by Elfman to shore up his dubious reputation by destroying Nomi’s credibility.” (An attorney for Elfman did not immediately return a call Rolling StonePlease leave a comment.)

Rolling StoneThe initial investigation included allegations that Abadi confided in several friends and detailed in a police report. She claimed that Elfman exposed and masturbated in front of Abadi on multiple occasions, that he took nude photos of her in a Paris hotel room, and that he presented her with a martini glass filled with what she said Elfman told her was semen. In a lengthy statement at the time, Elfman denied ever exposing and masturbating in front of Abadi, denied that he ever said the glass contained semen, and claimed that Abadi was the one who requested the photo shoot.

In his statement, Elfman said he “allowed someone to approach me without knowing that I was her ‘childhood crush’ and that she had every intention of destroying my marriage and replacing my wife. When that person realized I wanted distance from her, she made it clear to me that I would pay for turning her away,” he said.

In the defamation suit, Abadi claims that Elfman defamed her not only by denying all allegations of wrongdoing, but also by falsely portraying her as a “failed seductress who lied about him out of vengeance and greed.”

Abadi also claims that Elfman defamed her by claiming she pressured for the nude photos. In a response last year, a spokesperson for Elfman said Abadi “removed her clothes almost immediately and without any encouragement.” In the suit, Abadi claims that Elfman “coerced” her into taking the photos. In the complaint, Abadi also claims that during the photo shoot, while Elfman had his hand on his penis, he “grabbed Nomi by the wrist with his other hand, forced her hand onto her genitals” and instructed her to masturbate as well.

“Nomi was frightened, frozen, and acted as if she wanted to appease the defendant Elfman,” the lawsuit states. Elfman also “instructed Nomi not to ‘tell anyone about Paris’ or she would be ‘dead.'” The lawsuit goes on to say that Elfman later apologized and blamed it on his loss of control, saying ‘something had gotten into him.'”

Abadi’s latest defamation allegation revolves around the alleged martini glass incident. Elfman initially sent Abadi a photo of the glass in an email and captioned it as a “mystery pic (sic) to stimulate your ‘imagination.'” According to the police report Abadi filed, she claimed Elfman told her the glass was filled with semen. A representative for Elfman said at the time that the glass actually contained the skin care product Cetaphil. Abadi claims Elfman defamed her not only by denying that the martini glass was filled with semen, but also by claiming that Abadi knew it wasn’t.

Abadi’s lawsuit contains a detailed description of her alleged past with Elfman. She claims that when she was presented with the jar, she “sat silently, frightened, and began to gag at the foul odor emanating from the jar containing the white substance.”

Abadi is demanding unspecified compensation and punitive damages, which must be determined by the court.

“Defendant Elfman lied about Nomi, calling her a spurned woman who wanted to destroy his marriage and someone who initiated the nude photography,” the lawsuit states. “As a result of the defamation by Elfman and his representatives, Nomi was humiliated both personally and professionally within their mutual composing industry and online, and her professional reputation and career as a composer, musician and educator were damaged.”

Abadi is not the only woman to accuse Elfman of misconduct. Three months after Rolling Stones Original story: A second anonymous woman came forward with similar allegations of sexual harassment. “It is important to this unknown woman that Nomi knows that she is no longer alone, that what Elfman did to her is in many ways similar to what was done to Nomi,” attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents both Abadi and the anonymous woman, said at the time. Elfman also denied those allegations, saying the lawsuit was filed “with the improper purpose of embarrassing Mr. Elfman and extorting settlement funds.”