Film composer Danny Elfman is facing a defamation lawsuit over statements he made to the media last year defending himself against allegations that he sexually abused a former friend and fellow composer.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday (July 10) in Los Angeles court, Nomi Abadi accused Elfman of defaming her in his response to a July 2023 article in Rolling rockwhich detailed Abadi's allegations that Elfman had repeatedly sexually harassed her, exposed himself and masturbated in front of her.
Her lawyers say that after Abadi “conveyed true facts” to Rolling rockElfman tried to “prop up his checkered reputation by destroying Nomi's credibility” with “disgusting lies” that characterized her as a “liar, wrecker and extortionist.”
“The law of defamation provides a remedy to those individuals who, because of vile lies about their integrity, can no longer succeed on their merits in the marketplace,” her lawyers wrote in the lawsuit, which was obtained by Advertising sign. “It would be difficult to find a person who deserves such treatment from plaintiff Nomi Abadi.”
A representative for Elfman did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday (July 11).
Recent years Rolling rock article reported that Elfman and Abadi had entered into a previously undisclosed $830,000 settlement in 2018 to resolve her charges. It also reported that Abadi had recently sued Elfman for breach of contract, claiming he had missed payments required under the previous settlement.
The article details Abadi's allegations against Elfman at length. In a police report cited in the story, she claimed that over the course of nearly a year, Elfman had exposed himself and masturbated multiple times in front of her without her consent. In a particularly graphic accusation from the police report, Elfman allegedly gave her a martini glass that Abadi claimed was filled with Elfman's semen.
Elfman — a prolific film composer who has written more than 100 film scores and composed the famous intro to The Simpsons — responded to the article with a lengthy statement. Calling the allegations “vicious and completely false”, he described Abadi as “irritated by his childhood” and intent on “breaking up my marriage and replacing my wife”. Elfman said that when he tried to distance himself from her, she “made it clear that I would pay for rejecting her.”
According to Abadi's new case, these statements to Rolling rock they were clearly libelous — falsely portraying her as “a scorned woman seeking revenge and money.”
“In doing so, Elfman and his agents derailed Nomi's career aspirations, necessitating the initiation of this action,” her attorneys wrote. “By publicly labeling Nomi a liar and a failed temptress who lied about him for revenge and greed, Elfman and his representatives defamed Nomi.”
Rolling rock (which belongs to the same parent company as Advertising sign) is not named in the lawsuit or accused of wrongdoing.
Beyond Elfman's statement, the new case also takes aim at two more factual allegations announced by an unnamed “Elfman representative” to Rolling rock. In one, the spokesperson denied the claim about the martini glass, claiming it was actually filled with “moisturizer” and was meant as a joke. In another, the representative responded to an allegation that Elfman had taken nude images of Abadi, claiming it was her idea and that she had “got rid of it almost immediately without any encouragement.”
In her new lawsuit, Abadi said those claims were also false and defamatory: “Nomi did not initiate the nude photo shoot,” her lawyers write in their complaint. “Elfman made her do it. Elfman masturbated in front of Nomi, then apologized and promised not to do it again.”
The lawsuit does not specify how much money Abadi is seeking in damages.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/danny-elfman-defamation-lawsuit-denying-sex-abuse-claims/