Neil Gaiman’s former partner denies negligence claims
Best-selling British author Gaiman, 64, has denied allegations of sexual assault made against him by eight women in January.
The estranged wife of Neil Gaiman, US singer Amanda Palmer, has said that she denies allegations of negligence made by a woman who worked for them.
A woman claimed in a lawsuit, filed in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New York earlier this week, that Palmer befriended her in New Zealand when she was 22 and homeless, and this led to her working for the couple.
According to the lawsuits, the woman claims Gaiman sexually assaulted her and alleged Palmer had told her about previous complaints from more than a dozen different women.
Best-selling British author Gaiman, 64, denied allegations in January of sexual assault made against him by eight women.
On Instagram, The Dresden Dolls member Palmer wrote: “I thank you all deeply for continuing to respect my recent request for privacy as I navigate this extremely difficult moment.
“I must protect my young child and his right to privacy.
“With that as my priority, I will not respond to the specific allegations being made against me except to say that I deny the allegations and will respond in due course. My heart goes out to all survivors.”
The lawsuits allege the couple violated laws on federal human trafficking, with complaints of assault, battery and inflicting emotional distress against Gaiman and negligence against 48-year-old Palmer.
Palmer has previously written on Instagram that she is in a custody and divorce battle with Gaiman, and was unable to “offer public comment”.
She added: “Please understand that I am first and foremost a parent.”
Since eight allegations were made against Gaiman in New York Magazine in January, his publisher Dark Horse Comics cancelled another comic book of the Anansi Boys series.
A UK stage adaptation of his book Coraline has been scrapped, and the estate of English author Sir Terry Pratchett removed him from a project funding proposal for a Good Omens comic book.
Last month, Netflix said that a TV series of Gaiman’s dark fantasy work The Sandman, starring British actor Tom Sturridge, will end with its second series later this year.
Reportedly season three of Good Omens starring Doctor Who actor David Tennant and a film of The Graveyard Book have also been shelved, following a Tortoise Media podcast that interviewed five women in July last year.
A 90-minute episode of Good Omens will instead be released, it has been reported.
In January 2023, a police report was made in New Zealand, accusing Gaiman of sexual assault.
The investigation was later dropped.
In a blog post, Gaiman said he had read the allegations, which he denies, with “horror and dismay” and said he was “not as thoughtful as I could or should have been” and he is still “learning”.
“I’ve stayed quiet until now, both out of respect for the people who were sharing their stories and out of a desire not to draw even more attention to a lot of misinformation,” he wrote.
“As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognise and moments I don’t, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen.
“I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.”
Palmer founded The Dresden Dolls with Brian Viglione in 2000 and was part of the singing duo Evelyn Evelyn with Jason Webley.
The singer-songwriter tied the knot with Gaiman in 2011 and they announced the birth of their son in 2015.
In a shared statement with Gaiman they revealed they were getting divorced in 2022, saying: “After many years of marriage, we have made the difficult decision to divorce.
“While we will no longer be partners in marriage, we will remain in one another’s lives as co-parents committed to raising our wonderful son in a loving and compassionate environment.
“We deeply appreciate everyone respecting our family’s privacy so we can focus on our son as we enter this new chapter in our lives.”
