Russell Brand denies sexually assaulting woman on Arthur film set - claiming accuser has 'faulty memory of events'
15 February 2024, 15:07 | Updated: 15 February 2024, 15:19
Russell Brand has denied sexually assaulting a woman on the set of Arthur - claiming his accuser has a 'faulty memory of the events'.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The woman - only referred to as Jane Doe - accused Brand of exposing himself and then sexually assaulting her while she worked on the film set in July 2010 at New York's Le Cirque restaurant.
She said the now disgraced comedian and actor, turned-political commentator, assaulted her in a bathroom while production staff guarded the door, according to the civil lawsuit filings.
Brand "smelled of alcohol, and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set," the woman also said.
He is then claimed to have exposed himself in full view of the film set crew.
Read More: Steve Wright found dead at London flat after 'incident' as tributes pour in for beloved DJ
Brand denies the accusation. His lawyers claim the lawsuit is "premised on the false claim" that he was visibly intoxicated at the time.
They said the woman was "unable to distinguish acting from reality", in the legal papers filed at the New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The lawyers said Brand was playing a drunk character, but was actually sober at the time.
The response from Brand's lawyers said he did not recognise the woman or remember speaking to her.
Arthur (2011) follows the eponymous intoxicated playboy played by Brand, and so was so required to "act drunk", his lawyers claim.
Brand, who was playing the role of drunk millionaire Arthur Bach in the film, claims it was his 'job to act drunk' and insists he was sober at the time, the BBC reports.
At the time of the accusations, Brand was engaged to singer Katy Perry - and adds to the swathe of improper behavior, rape and emotional abuse claims he already faces between 2006 and 2013. Brand denied all the allegations.
"Famously, the character, Arthur Bach, originally played by Dudley Moore in the 1981 comedy, Arthur, is a drunk," the legal papers said.
"Brand, an actor and comedian, played the same role in the 2010 remake. While Brand's job was to act drunk and portray a drunk the film, he did not drink a sip of alcohol or consume any drugs at any time during production."
Jane Doe's "faulty memory of the events she alleged in her complaint - more than 13 years after they supposedly happened - is fatal to her claims," the statement added.
They also said Brand had not taken drugs or alcohol for around eight years at the time of the accusation.
