Vulture reports Neil Gaiman has filed a demand for arbitration seeking $500,000 from Caroline Wallner for violating the nondisclosure agreement she signed with him in 2021.
Wallner claimed in a Tortoise Media interview that beginning in 2017 Gaiman pressured her to have sex with him in return for letting her live with her daughters at his property in upstate New York. Following negotiations between attorneys in 2021 Gaiman obtained a non-disclosure agreement from her in return for a $275,000 payment to help her cope with post-traumatic stress and depression following their sexual relationship. The terms of the NDA prevented her from suing Gaiman or telling anyone about her alleged experiences with him.
The NDA they signed requires that claims be dealt with through arbitration.
The Vulture article says Gaiman’s demand for arbitration accuses Wallner of breaking their NDA by sharing her story with the media, violating the confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions of their agreement. He wants full repayment of the $275,000 settlement amount, plus attorneys’ fees, and $50,000 for each interview she’s given to the media.
Vulture also reports Wallner filed a claim for arbitration against Gaiman last winter, alleging that his lawyer kept videos, photos, and text messages she’d sent Gaiman, although both parties to the NDA had agreed to destroy all such materials after signing it.
Gaiman has denied to New York Magazine that he abused Wallner, and told them it was she who had initiated their sexual encounters.
This is the second legal action Gaiman is now engaged in over sex assault allegations, after a former nanny, Scarlett Pavlovich, filed a U.S. federal lawsuit against Gaiman and his former partner, Amanda Palmer, on charges of rape and human trafficking, seeking at least $1 million in damages. Gaiman has moved for dismissal of the suit on jurisidictional grounds, arguing that the alleged abuse took place in New Zealand, not the United States.
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Gaiman has found a way to appear even more guilty. NDAs can’t be used to cover illegal activity. Don’t know how well one would fare in covering up an alleged sexual harassment victim speaking out.
Guilty, guilty, guilty, is our formerly loved Gaiman.
Gaiman obviously realizes his reputations is shot, so why not get vindictive? I’m awaiting the announcement of his engagement to JK Rowling any day now.
Having found a weak spot in the bedrock, Gaiman is digging deeper
I hopety hopety hope this gets thrown out of court as a misuse of an NDA.
Andrew (not Werdna) wrote:
For some reason, I thought you wrote “airlock” — and I started imagining Gaiman trapped in the little ship from “The Cold Equations.” With a failing orbit, and without a young woman to toss out.
This quote from the article is great:
“Oh, the allegation must be true!”
Brian Jones: It’s not before a court. It’s in arbitration. I would expect the NDA identified the arbitration service to be used.
@Troyce: “I’m awaiting the announcement of his engagement to JK Rowling any day now.”
Given the nature of accusations laid against Mr Gaiman, I doubt a vocal advocate of the rights of biological women such as Ms Rowling (views now reinforced by the UK’s Supreme Court, incidentally) would have much interest in anything he wanted to offer.