Danny Elfman Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Second Woman

Warning: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual misconduct.

In July, it was reported that Danny Elfman was being sued by musician and composer Nomi Abadi for allegedly failing to make settlement payments due to allegations of sexual harassment. Now, a second woman has come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Elfman.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a 47-year-old woman in Maryland who is using the pseudonym Jane Doe XX alleges the composer harassed her from 1997 to 2002. In a filing submitted Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, she sued him 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 said in a statement, “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.”

According to the suit, the accuser met Elfman at a mutual friend’s home in April 1997, when she was 21 and studying at the New York Film Academy. The two reportedly had a mentor-protegé relationship, and at a certain point Elfman began to expose his genitalia to her while walking around nude during their meetings. The woman claims Elfman expressed to her that “this was the only way he could work, be creative, and successful.” She said that, because of his prominence in the industry, “she had no choice but to always comply with his requests, and Plaintiff felt this was a condition of their continued relationship.”

The woman also claims that Elfman would sometimes sleep naked in the same bed next to her, “never removing her clothing, often sleeping on top of the bedding. In 2002, Elfman allegedly told her, “Every time you have ever slept next to me, I would masturbate next to you.” Following that disclosure, the plaintiff ended her relationship with Elfman.

Attorney Jeff Anderson, who is representing both Abadi and Doe, told Rolling Stone: “It’s important to this Jane Doe that Nomi knows she’s not alone anymore, that what was done to her by Elfman mirrors in so many ways what was done to Nomi.”