Acclaimed screenwriter and filmmaker Paul Schrader, best known for his work on Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, has been accused of sexually harassing his former assistant, according to a legal filing in New York State Court. The 26-year-old woman, who is going by the alias Jane Doe, alleges that Schrader engaged in inappropriate and unwanted sexual behaviour during their professional relationship and later rejected a proposed financial settlement.
According to the filing, the alleged harassment occurred while the pair were attending the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 for the premiere of Schrader’s latest film, Oh, Canada. The alleged victim claimed that Schrader, forcibly kissed her against her will and three days later, summoned her to his hotel room under the pretext of being gravely ill and then exposed himself to her.
The filing also accuses Schrader of engaging in repeated inappropriate behaviour throughout her employment, including "near-constant inappropriate sexual questions and lewd and misogynistic commentary."
The woman alleges she was dismissed from her role in September 2023 after rejecting Schrader’s alleged advances. She even claimed through her attorneys that a confidential financial settlement had been negotiated, but that Schrader later withdrew from the agreement citing a personal illness and moral discomfort with the terms, telling them he "could not live with himself" if he signed the deal.
Despite this, her legal team argues that the agreement is still legally binding and is now seeking to enforce it, along with the recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs.
Schrader's lawyer, Philip Kessler, responded to the filing in a statement to Variety, calling the breach of contract claim “desperate, opportunistic and frivolous.” He also dismissed the harassment allegations, stating they are "loaded with inaccuracies" and "materially misleading."
Kessler further noted that Jane Doe had accompanied Schrader to several film festivals and dinners over their three-and-a-half-year working relationship and had spoken positively about him on social media, with some posts reportedly removed around the time the legal demand was made.
The filing also includes alleged emails from Schrader, in which he reportedly professed his love for Jane Doe and expressed a desire for physical contact. Her attorneys maintain that these communications, along with her dismissal and the prior agreement, substantiate their case.
According to the filing, the alleged harassment occurred while the pair were attending the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 for the premiere of Schrader’s latest film, Oh, Canada. The alleged victim claimed that Schrader, forcibly kissed her against her will and three days later, summoned her to his hotel room under the pretext of being gravely ill and then exposed himself to her.
The filing also accuses Schrader of engaging in repeated inappropriate behaviour throughout her employment, including "near-constant inappropriate sexual questions and lewd and misogynistic commentary."
The woman alleges she was dismissed from her role in September 2023 after rejecting Schrader’s alleged advances. She even claimed through her attorneys that a confidential financial settlement had been negotiated, but that Schrader later withdrew from the agreement citing a personal illness and moral discomfort with the terms, telling them he "could not live with himself" if he signed the deal.
Despite this, her legal team argues that the agreement is still legally binding and is now seeking to enforce it, along with the recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs.
Schrader's lawyer, Philip Kessler, responded to the filing in a statement to Variety, calling the breach of contract claim “desperate, opportunistic and frivolous.” He also dismissed the harassment allegations, stating they are "loaded with inaccuracies" and "materially misleading."
Kessler further noted that Jane Doe had accompanied Schrader to several film festivals and dinners over their three-and-a-half-year working relationship and had spoken positively about him on social media, with some posts reportedly removed around the time the legal demand was made.
The filing also includes alleged emails from Schrader, in which he reportedly professed his love for Jane Doe and expressed a desire for physical contact. Her attorneys maintain that these communications, along with her dismissal and the prior agreement, substantiate their case.
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