Best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman is facing a lawsuit from his former nanny, Scarlett Pavlovich, who alleges he repeatedly raped her and demanded she call him “master.” The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Massachusetts, New York, and Wisconsin, also accuses Gaiman’s estranged wife, musician Amanda Palmer, of “procuring” Pavlovich for abuse.
Pavlovich is seeking over $7 million in damages, citing violations of federal human trafficking laws.
The lawsuit follows a wave of accusations against Gaiman. In July, Pavlovich and four other women spoke out on a podcast titled *Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman*, accusing him of unwanted sexual contact. Last month, *New York Magazine* published further allegations from eight women, including Pavlovich, who revealed her full identity and detailed her claims.
According to court documents, Pavlovich met Gaiman and Palmer in 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. Initially hired for errands and childcare, she alleges that Gaiman began sexually assaulting her in February 2022 while she was at his home. She claims the abuse continued until she threatened suicide and was hospitalized.
Pavlovich’s lawsuit describes her as the couple’s “economic hostage,” alleging that she had “nowhere to go” and feared losing her job, housing, and career prospects if she resisted.
The court filing also states that Palmer knew about Gaiman’s past behavior, claiming that “more than a dozen women, including several former employees, had previously come to Palmer about abusive sexual encounters with Gaiman.” Pavlovich alleges that Palmer referred to her husband as “Weinstein” and predicted he would be “MeTooed” but ultimately refused to support Pavlovich’s claims when she reported the alleged rapes to the police.
Gaiman, 63, has denied all allegations. In a statement posted to his website last month, he said, “I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.” He acknowledged having been “careless with people’s hearts and feelings” but called some of the accusations “distorted” and “bearing no relationship to reality.”
Palmer has not directly responded to the lawsuit but previously stated on Instagram that she could not comment due to “ongoing custody and divorce proceedings.”
Since the allegations surfaced, Gaiman has faced professional repercussions. Dark Horse Comics announced it would no longer publish his works, and a planned film adaptation of one of his books has reportedly been put on hold.
Gaiman and Palmer, who married in 2011, announced their divorce in 2022. They have one child together.
