Washington - Bryan Singer, who directed “Superman Returns” and several “X-Men” movies, was accused in a lawsuit Thursday of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy at a party more than a decade ago.
In the lawsuit, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman said he met Singer for the first time at the 2003 party, which took place on a yacht in Seattle, when he offered to give him a tour of the boat. While showing him the master bedroom, according to the lawsuit, Singer shut the door behind them and demanded sex from Sanchez-Guzman.
After he refused, the lawsuit says, Singer pushed him on the bed and sexually assaulted him.
“Later, Bryan Singer approached Cesar and told him that he was a producer in Hollywood and that he could help Cesar get into acting as long as Cesar never said anything about the incident,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in King County, Washington. “He then told Cesar that no one would believe him if he ever reported the incident, and that he could hire people who are capable of ruining someone’s reputation.”
A representative for Singer said he “categorically denies these allegations and will vehemently defend this lawsuit to the very end.” He added, “Once Bryan prevails, he will pursue his own claims for malicious prosecution.”
The lawsuit does not say whether Sanchez-Guzman or anyone else reported the allegations to the police. A spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department said he could not search for possible records until Friday.
Singer was fired in recent days from directing “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a film about the British rock band Queen, after he failed to return to the set after Thanksgiving. A representative for him said he was dealing with a “personal health matter.”
In 2014, another man, Michael Egan, accused Singer of drugging him and raping him when he was a minor in 1999. Egan later dropped the lawsuit.