Bryan Singer Accuser Jeff Herman, Go-To Attorney for Hollywood Sex Abuse Claims, Was Himself Once Accused of Rape

Bryan Singer Accuser Jeff Herman, Go-To Attorney for Hollywood Sex Abuse Claims, Was Himself Once Accused of Rape
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In the news for suing Bryan Singer (again), Herman escaped prosecution despite what the police recommended. He denies the allegations.

Jeff Herman represents two Harvey Weinstein accusers, actresses Kadian Noble and Dominique Huett, and on Thursday made more news by reportedly suing director Bryan Singer for allegedly raping Cesar Sanchez-Guzman in 2003, when he was 17 years old.

Singer denies the allegations and points out that Herman previously represented Michael Egan in 2014 rape cases against Singer and three other Hollywood gay men that collapsed within weeks, forcing Herman to admit to “untrue and provably false allegations” and pay a settlement to two of the men.

In addition, Herman had previously been disciplined in two separate incidents of misconduct involving dishonesty. Nonetheless, he has become a go-to lawyer on sexual abuse in Hollywood and has appeared on television to talk about his cases and others.

But what he hasn’t publicly discussed is that he was accused of committing rape in 1998.

The alleged victim was his Miami law firm’s young receptionist, who never sought money or filed suit, according to her ex-boyfriend. Herman denied the allegations then and denied them again on Thursday, after first professing confusion. The police recommended prosecution, but prosecutors declined to file charges.

In a phone interview recorded with Herman’s consent, the lawyer expressed incredulity when asked about allegations of rape, then answered “no” when asked specifically about the receptionist, after which he seemed to mumble, “Oh, crap.” His answers were prefaced with long, halting pauses.

Clarification (1/19 3:51 p.m.): Herman’s attorney disputes that he says what appears to be “Oh, crap” on the tape and points to an opinion by an audio expert. In addition, as a point of clarification, the police report refers to Herman’s alleged actions as “sexual battery.”

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