Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman has been accused of sexual abuse by a second woman.
In documents filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, a woman in Maryland going by Jane Doe XX alleges that the Spider-Man composer sexually abused her from 1997 to 2002. According to the filings, the plaintiff allegedly met the 47-year-old Elfman at a party in April of 1997 when she was a 21-year-old student at the New York Academy.
The two would become friendly and develop a relationship that the plaintiff hoped would boost her own music career. She frequently attended industry events with Elfman, and court documents claim that Elfman treated her as "a consultant and protegé," asking her opinions on films and music.
According to the suit, one night in a hotel room, Elfman removed his clothing until he was completely nude and walked around nude in front of the Plaintiff, exposing his genitals. This sort of behavior would become a regular occurrence when the two were together over the course of the next five years with Elfman removing 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 felt "she had no choice but to always comply with his requests," due to Elfman's prominence in the entertainment industry. She would often visit Elfman at his home and would even spend nights in Elfman's bed, keeping her clothes on and sleeping above the covers while he was naked. According to the suit, Elfman revealed to her in 2002, "Every time you have ever slept next to me, I would masturbate next to you."
That revelation resulted in Jane Doe XX ending the relationship while suffering from "shock, humiliation and shame"
She is suing Elfman and his company, Musica de la Muerta, for sexual assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment and negligence.
A spokesperson for Elfman denied the allegations and offered the following statement when asked for comment:
“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.”
This is the second time Elfman has been accused of sexual abuse and harassment. In 2018, composer Nomi Abadi filed a lawsuit alleging that Elfman exposed himself and masturbated in front of her without her consent on several occasions. Elfman ultimately entered into a settlement and nondisclosure agreement with Abadi, but denied that he sexually harassed Abadi. Abadi sued Elfman in July for failure to pay on the settlement reached in 2018.
Elfman is one of Hollywood's most prominent composers, having worked with directors Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Wednesday, The Nightmare Before Christmas) and Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). During his career he's received four Oscar nominations, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy.