- Actress claims Brand assaulted her in July 2010 while he was engaged to Perry
Russell Brand has been accused of sexually assaulting an actress on the set of ‘Arthur’ in 2010 as the comedian is hit with another allegation after four women accused him of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.
The maverick comic and actor, 48, has faced serious accusations from a series of women which were revealed in an investigation by the Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches programme.
A slew of further claims then emerged in the weeks after as women told their stories to newspapers and the BBC.
Now, in addition to several claims made against him, Brand has been accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in New York on Friday, marking the first such accusation levelled in court.
The woman, only identified as ‘Jane Doe’, claimed she was assaulted while she appeared as an extra in a scene from ‘Arthur’ filmed at Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan in July 2010 – just three months before Brand married pop star Katy Perry.
The woman alleges in an affidavit that Brand ‘appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol, and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set’ before attacking her. She also claims that he exposed his penis to her while on set.
The affidavit continued: ‘The sexual assault happened later that same day when I was in the bathroom.
‘Mr. Brand entered after me and assaulted me, as a member of the production crew guarded the door from outside.’
The allegation in question comes during a time that Brand was dating pop star Katy Perry.
The celebrity couple got engaged in January 2010 and the incident is said to have happened three months before they tied the knot in October later that year.
Brand and Perry would go on to have a short-lived marriage, divorcing after just 14 months. He is now married to Laura Gallacher – the younger sister of television star Kirsty Gallacher and daughter of golfer Bernard Gallacher.
MailOnline has contacted Brand for comment. So far, he has vehemently denied all allegations and insisted that in the past he has been ‘very, very promiscuous’ but all relationships have been ‘consensual’.
The alleged assault – after he was said to be drunk – comes despite Brand publicly celebrating 20 years of sobriety from alcohol and drugs in 2022. New York Magazine also reported in a 2011 story about Brand and the film ‘Arthur’ that he had been sober for eight years.
The lawsuit has been filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which extended the window for alleged victims to sue their abusers.
The woman claims she ‘suffered and continues to suffer extreme embarrassment, shame and fear’ and now finds it ‘difficult to trust others’ as a result of the alleged sexual abuse.
Other defendants in the lawsuit include Warner Brothers, who produced the 2011 romantic comedy, which was a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, along with other companies involved in the film production.
The suit seeks unspecified money damages from Brand on grounds of assault, battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress.
Brand starred as a boozing, philandering heir to a fortune alongside Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig and Nick Nolte.
The latest allegation against Brand comes six weeks after he was accused of abusive and predatory behaviour, including one rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse, between 2006 and 2013 at the height of his fame.
He has vehemently denied the allegations – but the BBC , Channel 4 and production firm Banijay have launched investigations into his behaviour, while the Met Police and Thames Valley police said they are investigating other complaints.
The first allegations included one woman alleging that Brand raped her against the wall of his Los Angeles home without a condom in 2013. She was treated at a rape crisis on the same day, according to medical records seen by The Times.
Another woman alleged he sexually assaulted when she was 16-years-old and still at school in the UK.
A third claimed that Brand sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in LA. She alleged she repeatedly told him to get off her and when he finally did he ‘flipped’.
The fourth claimed she was sexually assaulted by Brand in the UK and accused him of being physically and emotionally abusive towards her.
In the wake of the scandal, a fifth woman filed a report to the Metropolitan Police, claiming she was sexually assaulted by the star in Soho, London, in 2003.
Another accused Brand of locking her in a dressing room and pinning her to sofa with a ‘glazed’ look on his face. The alleged incident, as reported in The Sun, was said to have taken place in 2008 when the comic was 33, after a gig in West London.
One woman also came forward claiming Brand exposed himself to her in an office where BBC Los Angeles operated from in 2008, before going to pre-record a programme for Radio 2 where he appeared to joke about the alleged incident.
And another who was named Sarah to protect her identity, claimed the comic had left her feeling ‘vulnerable and intimidated’ after he allegedly refused to get her a taxi until she performed a sex act.
After Scotland Yard launched a criminal probe into Brand, the Mail revealed last month that Thames Valley Police was also investigating ‘information in relation to the harassment and stalking allegations’ made by a woman.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
