A woman has filed a lawsuit against British celebrity Russell Brand, accusing him of sexually assaulting her during the filming of the 2011 comedy “Arthur”.
The woman, who was working as an extra on the set of the movie in July 2010, filed her case in the New York Supreme Court last Friday.
In court documents, the woman described the assault, calling Brand’s actions “disgusting”.
Before the assault occurred, “[Brand] appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol, and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set”, the woman, who is referred to as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, wrote.
Brand then exposed himself to the woman in front of the cast and crew, the court documents stated.
“The sexual assault happened later that same day when I was in the bathroom. Mr. Brand entered after me and assaulted me, as a member of the production crew guarded the door from outside.”
“As a result of the sexual abuse, I suffered and continue to suffer extreme embarrassment, shame, and fear,” she said, adding that she is speaking out anonymously for fear of being blacklisted in Hollywood.
“Everyone usually turns a blind eye to bad behaviour on a set. If I had come forward and said something to, say, even a production assistant on the set, what are they going to do? Are they going to fire Russell Brand, or are they going to fire me?”
The complainant is also suing the companies that helped produce the movie, including Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Discovery, MBST Entertainment, BenderSpink and Langley Park Pictures.
In her only media interview to date, the woman told UK’s Sunday Times that she felt “felt used and abused.”
“Disgusting is the only word,” she remarked about Brand, who was at the time engaged to Katy Perry. “I felt like I was being used, that I was an object for his momentary titillation.”
“I am trying to get my power back by speaking up about it,” she continued.
“And if there are other people who have had something like this happen, I want to help them have the courage to come forward too. Because honestly, that’s what gave me the strength to do this.”
Brand has not responded to the latest lawsuit against him, which comes two months after he was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013 by four women.
The allegations were first published mid-September in an exclusive investigation by The Sunday Times. On the same day, the allegations were broadcast in a joint television documentary, Russell Brand – In Plain Sight, which aired on Channel 4 in the UK.
The night before these allegations were published, Brand posted a video on his socials, denying all the allegations and calling them a “coordinated attack”.
The joint investigation between BBC and Banijay UK is ongoing, and the Metropolitan police have encouraged victims to come forward.