Oscar-winning screenwriter John Patrick Shanley ("Moonstruck") is accused of forcing actress Amanda Jencsik to engage in violent sexual acts, the New York Post reports.
According to the Post, Jencsik, 26, has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Shanley, 61.
UPDATE:: In a statement to The Huffington Post via his attorney Peter Parcher, Shanley denied Jencsik's claims. “I dated Amanda Jencsik several times. Our relationship was totally consensual. It ended some time ago," he wrote. "We never exchanged a harsh word. I am distressed and surprised to see her being exploited this way. I wish her well.”
Per the Post, the suit claims that Shanley would restrict Jencisk's breathing with his hands during sexual intercourse. In at least one instance, he reportedly also tightened a belt around her neck. Shanley would allegedly ask Jencsik if she felt as though she was being raped throughout their encounters.
The relationship lasted four months. According to Jencsik's lawyer, Salvatore Struzzullo, Jencsik stayed in the relationship because she was not in her right mind.
Jencsik claims their relationship started when Shanley contacted her on Facebook and asked her questions about her hair. Shanley allegedly sodomized Jencsik on multiple occasions.
Interestingly, Shanley told the Post that he was unaware of the lawsuit.
Shanley won the Oscar for Best Screenwriting in 1988 for "Moonstruck." Cher won Best Actress for the film, and director Norman Jewison was nominated for Best Director. The film was nominated for Best Picture but lost to "The Last Emperor."
In 2005, Shanley's play "Doubt" won both a Pulitzer and a Tony Award. Three years later, Shanley directed a film adaptation of "Doubt" starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis.
As a company member of the LAByrinth Theater, Shanley debuted his plays "Dirty Story," Where's My Money?" "Sailor's Song" and "A Winter Party." Hoffman and actor John Ortiz ("Luck") are also company members at LAByrinth.
Jencsik wrote and acted in "Miami or Bust: A Hoboken Bet" (2012), "I Wonder: A Coney Island Story" (2006) and a few other small budget productions.