Bohemian Rhapsody director pays to settle ‘rape’ case
Bryan Singer to give man £118,000 but denies any wrongdoing, with cash going to accuser’s creditors
BRYAN SINGER, the director of Bohemian Rhapsody, has agreed to pay $150,000 (£118,300) to settle a rape accusation, denying any wrongdoing but hoping to put the episode behind him. The New York-born director, 53, was accused by Cesar Sanchez-guzman in a 2017 lawsuit of sexually assaulting him during a yacht party in Seattle in 2003 when Mr Sanchez-guzman was 17.
Singer has always insisted he did not know Mr Sanchez-guzman, who was declared bankrupt three years before filing the suit.
His creditors reopened the 2014 bankruptcy case, arguing that Mr Sanchez-guzman did not list the potential proceeds from a lawsuit against Singer as an asset. Yesterday, it was announced that a settlement had been reached, with Singer insisting once again that he did not know his accuser.
“Mr Singer has denied even knowing this individual, let alone allegedly having interacted with him more than 15 years ago,” said Andrew Brettler, the director’s lawyer.
“The decision to resolve the matter with the bankruptcy trustee was purely a business one, as litigation costs would well exceed the amount requested by the trustee to pay off the creditors who were owed money when the debtor filed for bankruptcy.” Rory Livesey, the creditors’ lawyer, said they would receive just under $61,000 (£48,000) and that the debt involved student loans.
The accusations have been severely damaging for Singer. His career nosedived after The Atlantic magazine published a story in January detailing four accounts from men accusing him of sexual misconduct since 2014.
They claimed he had sex with them while they were underage, one only 13.
Singer’s lawyer told The Atlantic that the director categorically denied ever having sex with or a preference for underage boys and had never been arrested for or charged with any crime.
Aspiring actor Michael Egan filed a civil suit against Singer in 2014, claiming he forced him into sex during parties in Hawaii in the 1990s. The suit was dropped after Singer provided evidence that he was not in Hawaii at the time.
Singer was fired from last year’s Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody, shortly before filming ended. He claimed his departure was because the 20th Century Fox studio would not allow him to take time away to deal with an ill parent. The film went on to gross $900 million (£709 million), with Singer earning a reported $40million (£31.5 million).