Wellington, (UNI) English author Neil Gaiman, whose body of work includes the bestseller children’s horror novel Coraline, has been sued by his former nanny, Scarlett Pavlovich for alleged human trafficking, sexual assault and coercion under the Trafficking Victim Protection Act.
The lawsuit, lodged in the US state of Wisconsin where Gaiman owns property also implications his estranged wife, musician Amanda Palmer, who is currently undergoing divorce proceedings with the author.
Pavlovich is one of multiple women who have accused Gaiman of sexual misconduct. She spoke to Vulture on record earlier this month, about six months after the British podcast Master published six episodes about five women with sexual assault allegations against Gaiman.
The Sandman author has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sexual activity.
According to court documents, Pavlovich met Palmer in Auckland in 2020 when she was 22 and occasionally assisted at her home on Waiheke Island. The complaint asserts that Palmer was aware of Pavlovich’s financial instability and mental health struggles, making her particularly vulnerable.
According to the filing, the first alleged assault occurred in February 2022 while Pavlovich was babysitting for Gaiman and Palmer’s son. The lawsuit details multiple instances of alleged sexual violence, contending that Pavlovich was effectively held in economic servitude. Despite assurances of payment, she claims she was not compensated until months after her employment ended.
“Palmer was sufficiently aware that Gaiman was likely to target Scarlett that she warned Gaiman to stay away from Scarlett before she brought Scarlett to Gaiman’s house as a babysitter,” the complaint reads. “Yet Palmer never warned Scarlett of the known danger posed by Gaiman. Had Palmer warned Scarlett of the known danger posed by Gaiman, Scarlett would never have agreed to babysit Palmer’s child at Gaiman’s house”, according to a report by PEOPLE.
Pavlovich is seeking damages to be determined at trial. According to the complaint, the damages are “reasonably believed to be in excess of $1,000,000.00, including, without limitation, damages to physical well-being, emotional and psychological damages, past and future economic losses, past and future physical impairment damages including but not limited to PTSD, anxiety, and depression which are physical impairments of the brain, loss of career opportunities, together with punitive damages, plus prejudgment interest, attorneys’ fees, expenses, costs and disbursements.”
