Author Neil Gaiman and estranged wife sued for sexual assault

By Tom Hals

WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) - 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 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.

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

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

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

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. Gaiman has not been criminally charged.

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

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

Desperate for money and housing, Pavlovich agreed, but soon 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 Gaiman and his child left for Europe.

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

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

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

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

(This story has been refiled to remove an incorrect picture)

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Nick Zieminski)