Paul Schrader, the writer of Taxi Driver and director of American Gigolo, is facing sexual assault allegations from his former personal assistant.
He is also accused of firing her when she rejected his advances and of violating an agreement that was supposed to keep the allegations confidential.
A former assistant, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit against the director and his production company on Thursday.
She is seeking a court order to enforce the agreement after Schrader said he could not honor it. The terms, including financial compensation, were not disclosed.
“This is an open and shut question about forced settlement,” the woman's attorney, Gregory Chiarello, said in court documents filed with the breach of contract lawsuit.
Schrader's attorney, Philip J. Kessler, described the lawsuit as “desperate, opportunistic and frivolous” and argued that many of the allegations made are false or misleading.
“We categorically deny that there was ever any sexual relationship of any kind between Mr. Schrader and his former assistant, and we deny that Mr. Schrader ever attempted to have a sexual relationship with her,” Mr. Kessler said.
The lawsuit, filed in a New York court, alleges that a confidential agreement between the 26-year-old woman and Schrader, 78, was made to keep the matter secret.
The allegations include her claim that the director locked her in his hotel room last year, grabbed her hands and kissed her against her will while promoting his latest film, O Canada, at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
Two days later, the lawsuit alleges, Schrader repeatedly called Jane Doe and sent her angry messages, claiming he was “dying” and unable to pack his bags.
The lawsuit alleges that when she came to his aid, Schrader opened the door to his room wearing only a robe and exposed his genitals to her.
She also claimed that Schrader fired her last September after she again rejected his advances.
According to the lawsuit, he sent her an email expressing concern that she was seeing him as “Harvey Weinstein.”
Weinstein, the film producer who became a symbol of the #MeToo movement, was convicted of rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and faces a retrial on rape charges in New York on April 15.
According to the lawsuit, Schrader agreed to the settlement on Feb. 5 but changed his mind after becoming ill and undergoing “spiritual soul-searching.”
Last month, Schrader said through his lawyers that he “could not agree to the settlement,” according to the lawsuit.
Mr. Kessler disputed this.
“The agreement they are trying to force on Mr. Schrader requires signatures from both parties before it is legally binding,” Mr. Kessler said.
“Mr. Schrader refused to sign it. Frankly, it's that simple.”
According to the lawsuit, she worked for Schrader from 2021 to 2024.
At the time, she posted on social media about how much she loved her job and called Schrader an outstanding mentor and “my man,” Mr. Kessler said.
Schrader rose to prominence through his collaboration with director Martin Scorsese, beginning with the 1976 film Taxi Driver.
He co-wrote Scorsese's boxing drama Raging Bull (1980), starring Robert De Niro, and wrote the religious epic The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and the paramedic drama Bringing Out the Dead (1999).
He also directed 23 of his own films, which received recognition in American cinema.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
