Russell Brand sued by extra who claims she was sexually assaulted on film set
Russell Brand has been accused of sexually assaulting an extra on the set of the 2011 film Arthur.
A lawsuit was filed in New York, and is the first accusation to be made against Brand in court.
British police are still investigating claims against the comedian and presenter after multiple women made accusations, including rape, against him in September.
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Russell Brand denies ‘serious allegations’
Brand has previously denied all the claims, saying all sexual relations were consensual.
He and his representatives have yet to respond to this lawsuit.
The US case was brought under the Adult Survivors Act, which gives a one-year window to sue over alleged sexual abuse from a long time ago.
Warner Brothers, which distributed Arthur, is also named as a defendant – as are other firms involved in making the movie.
Allegations in the lawsuit
The lawsuit accuses them of tolerating Brand’s misconduct on set and aiding and abetting the alleged offence. They have yet to comment.
The accuser says she was hired as an extra for a scene filmed at Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan in July 2010.
Brand was intoxicated during filming, according to the lawsuit, and is accused of exposing his genitalia in front of everyone while sat at a table staring at the woman.
It is alleged Brand later followed her into a bathroom where he pulled down his pants and shoved her into a cubicle, forcing her to perform oral sex.
A crew member is said to have stood directly outside, as if guarding the door.
The woman – who is seeking unspecified financial damages – says she suffered “severe psychological injuries” and economic losses after the alleged attack.
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The first claims against Brand were made in an investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches.
They are alleged to have happened when he was at the height of his fame, but no charges have been brought.
Elon Musk has stepped up his attacks on Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill – weeks after a spectacular fallout between the world’s richest man and the US president.
Following weeks of relative silence after clashing with Mr Trump over his “big beautiful bill”, the billionaire vowed to unseat politicians who support it.
In a post on X, Musk said those who had campaigned on cutting spending but then backed the bill “should hang their heads in shame”.
He added: “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
Musk also threatened to put their faces on a poster which said “liar” and “voted to increase America’s debt” by $5trn (£3.6trn).
The posts attracted a swift reply from Mr Trump, who claimed the billionaire “may get more subsidy than any human being in history” for his electric car business.
“Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
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Elon’s dad on the Musk-Trump bust-up
Musk spent at least $250m (£182m) supporting Mr Trump in his presidential campaign and then led the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which sacked about 120,000 federal employees.
He has argued the legislation would greatly increase the US national debt and wipe out the savings he claimed he achieved through DOGE.
As the Senate discussed the package, Musk called it “utterly insane and destructive”.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO said the bill’s massive spending indicated “we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!”
“Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people,” he wrote.
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Musk previously said some of his social media posts during his dramatic fallout with Mr Trump “went too far”.
He had shared a series of posts on X, including one that described Mr Trump’s tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination”.
He also claimed, in a since-deleted post, that the president appeared in files relating to the disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
But Musk later wrote: “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
In response, the president told the New York Post: “I thought it was very nice that he did that.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.
The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.
On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.
Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Donald Trump during a previous meeting. Pic: Reuters
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.
The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.
She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.
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The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.
An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.
Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.
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