Author Neil Gaiman and estranged wife sued for sexual assault

WILMINGTON, Delaware — The best-selling author Neil Gaiman and his estranged wife were sued by a New Zealand woman who is seeking millions of dollars for alleged sexual abuse and human trafficking while she worked for them as a nanny and babysitter, according to three lawsuits filed on Monday.

Scarlett Pavlovich said Mr. Gaiman, author of The Sandman comic book series and the novel American Gods, repeatedly raped her while she worked for him and Amanda Palmer in 2022, causing physical, mental, and emotional harm.

Ms. Palmer was accused of knowing that Ms. Pavlovich was vulnerable, and failing to warn that Mr. Gaiman had a history of predatory behavior, according to court papers.

The couple were named as defendants in Ms. Pavlovich’s lawsuit filed in the federal court in Madison, Wisconsin. Ms. Palmer is the sole defendant in Ms. Pavlovich’s federal lawsuits filed in Manhattan and Boston.

Mr. Gaiman owns a property in Wisconsin and Ms. Palmer is a resident of either New York or Massachusetts, according to the lawsuits.

Mr. Gaiman denied allegations of inappropriate sexual relations in a January blog post, following media reports on the allegations.

“I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever,” he wrote. Mr. Gaiman has not been criminally charged.

Ms. Palmer’s representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

The lawsuits seek unspecified damages that are “reasonably believed” to exceed $1 million on multiple claims.

According to court papers, Ms. Palmer met Ms. Pavlovich in Auckland, New Zealand in 2020, when Ms. Pavlovich was 22 and homeless, and was aware Ms. Pavlovich suffered from mental health problems.

Then in 2022, when Ms. Palmer and Mr. Gaiman were living separately on Waiheke Island near Auckland, Ms. Palmer allegedly asked Ms. Pavlovich to begin babysitting the couple’s child.

Desperate for money and housing, Ms. Pavlovich agreed, but soon Mr. Gaiman began sexually abusing her, including by raping her, choking her, and assaulting her in the presence of his child, according to court papers.

The abuse allegedly lasted several weeks, until Mr. Gaiman and his child left for Europe.

Ms. Pavlovich said Ms. Palmer told her that more than a dozen women, including several former employees, had complained to her about abusive sexual encounters with Mr. Gaiman.

According to court papers, Ms. Pavlovich filed a police report accusing Mr. Gaiman of sexual assault, but the police did nothing because Ms. Palmer refused to talk with them.

Misconduct allegations against Mr. Gaiman began to surface publicly in 2024, and Dark Horse Comics said last month it would no longer publish his works.

Mr. Gaiman’s comic books and novels include Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Good Omens, and How to Talk to Girls at Parties. — Reuters