Entertainment And News, Sex

Details Revealed In Lawsuit Claiming 'X-Men' Director Bryan Singer Raped A 17-Year-Old Boy

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Who Is Bryan Singer? Details X-Men Director Rape Lawsuit And Accusations Pedophile Teen Boys

HBO's new documentary, Showbiz Kids, is bringing to light what really goes on in the lives of child actors.

In the film, many child actors, both former and current, give their stories on what it is really like to be a young actor in the entertainment industry. One point that the documentary goes into further is the alleged abuse that happens to these young actors.

During the #MeToo movement in 2017, some child actors started to come forward with their stories of sexual abuse against particular people in the industry.

One of these people was Bryan Singer. 

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Who is Bryan Singer?

In December 2017, Singer, director of the X-Men series and The Usual Suspects, was sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy back in 2003. Cesar Sanchez-Guzman accused Singer, 54, of forcing him to perform oral sex and then raping him on a yacht more than a decade ago, but Singer denies the claims.

The lawsuit claims that Singer gave Guzman, who was 17 at the time, a tour of Lester Water’s yacht in Seattle. The suit claims that a party was being held on the yacht and most attendees were young gay men.

After being shown around on the yacht, Guzman claims that Singer forced him into performing sexual acts.

“During this tour, Singer lured Cesar into a room, shut the door and demanded that Cesar perform oral sex,” the lawsuit reads.

Singer allegedly slapped Guzman with his genitals before forcing him to perform oral sex. The rape was so severe that, according to the lawsuit, Guzman started choking. 

He said he begged Singer to stop, but he didn't. Singer allegedly then forcibly anally penetrated the 17-year-old, despite his pleas to stop.

According to the lawsuit, Singer later told Guzman that he was a famous movie producer and could help him become an actor if he kept his mouth shut about the incident. Singer then allegedly went on to say that no one would believe Guzman’s story, and that he could easily ruin the boy’s reputation.

The suit says Guzman suffered “severe psychological, mental and emotional injuries, shame, humiliation and loss of enjoyment of life” as a result of the alleged sexual abuse.

Singer denied the allegations against him and his lawyer, Andrew Brettler, spoke out, saying, "Bryan categorically denies these allegations and will vehemently defend this lawsuit to the very end... When Sanchez-Guzman filed for bankruptcy only a few years ago, he failed to disclose this alleged claim when he was supposed to identify all of his assets, but conveniently, now that the bankruptcy court discharged all of his debts, he is able to recall the alleged events."  

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Guzman’s attorney, Jeff Herman, has been sued before by defendants for malicious prosecution. 

"The attorney behind this lawsuit is the same lawyer who represented Michael Egan, the convicted felon who sued Bryan Singer in 2014,” continued Brettler. “In the end, Egan was forced to dismiss that case once the facts came out and his story completely fell apart."

Michael Egan accused Singer, along with three other men, of drugging him and forcing him into sex at parties when he was just 15. The claims came out 15 years after they allegedly happened and ended with Egan going to federal prison for lying in a fraud case.

Singer has been accused of sexual abuse multiple times, but the claims have never been proven.

In 1997, a 14-year-old extra on his film, Apt Pupil, named Devin St. Albin, accused the acclaimed director of asking him, along with other underage extras, to strip for a shower scene. St. Albin filed a lawsuit against Singer for infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and invasion of privacy, but it was dismissed for insufficient evidence.

Another case was dropped in 2014 by “John Doe No. 117.” The British accuser who remained anonymous accused Singer and producer Gary Goddard of engaging in acts of “gender violence” against him when they met the minor to have sex.

Singer’s lawyer was certain the claims by Guzman would be proven false, just like the Egan case. 

“We are confident that this case will turn out the same way the Egan case did,” Brettler said in a statement.  “And once Bryan prevails, he will pursue his own claims for malicious prosecution.”

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In 2019, Singer agreed to pay $150,000 in order to resolve Guzman's allegations. Guzman had filed for bankruptcy back in 2014, but his claim against Singer wasn't listed as one of the assets in the case.

Brettler made a statement: “The debtor filed a claim against Mr. Singer that he had no basis or legal right to file. Mr. Singer has denied even knowing this individual, let alone allegedly having interacted with him more than 15 years ago. 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.”

However, more recently, more claims have been made against Singer. Comedian and musician Elijah Daniel wrote an entire thread on Twitter accusing the director of going after young social media influencers in an alleged sex ring.

Daniel wrote, “As some of his friends got arrested, he somehow stayed going. Making millions directing and producing movies. Due to his lawsuits, he has gone quiet on social media. THIS is why: Beginning in 2017 Bryan & friends switched focus. Instead of aspiring actors, influencers, they have dipped into the influencer pool, promising movie roles, etc. as they did before. Moving to Instagram, Raya, TikTok, SeekingArrangement, etc. to get influencers. They fly these boys on jets (as he did before), as well as to movie sets and promise roles!”

Daniel also claims that he was one of the young men who was approached by Singer's "recruiter" a few years ago.

He continued, “All this is alleged, but Bryan Singer is a very high-profile and dangerous man who a lot of people are terrified to speak out agains. He has been continued to be given a platform and he is awful. i just want y’all to be aware he is changing his tactics. stop supporting.”

Daniel also provided photos in his thread to back up his claims. He also shared a petition that asks the FBI to continue investigating Singer.

No new charges have been made yet against Singer for these most recent allegations. But hopefully, with the new HBO documentary, more attention will be brought to the horrifying allegations about what goes on amid the dark side of the entertainment industry. 

Please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.

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Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in December 2017 and was updated with the latest information.

Sarah Gangraw has a degree in journalism and writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.