Composer Danny Elfman Responds To Sexual Abuse Allegations

On November 6, Oingo Boingo singer and film composer Danny Elfman publicly responded to a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him a few weeks prior. The lawsuit follows a past collaborator suing Elfman for a partially unpaid settlement stemming from a sexual harassment case.

Both a lawyer representing Elfman and the composer himself have now denied the more recent allegations. As recounted by The Hollywood Reporter, Elfman claimed that the his accuser filed this lawsuit intending to extort him for money. "Recognizing that her absurd allegations would carry no weight in a court of law, Plaintiff and her attorneys chose to embark on a disinformation campaign, providing her dishonest Complaint to the media days before it was filed with the Court or became publicly available on the Court's docket," his lawyer Camille Vasquez added.

Elfman likewise claimed that his alleged behavior — which he explicitly denied — would fail to constitute sexual assault. A court filing quotes Elfman as saying, "Plaintiff's Complaint specifically states that she was an adult at the time of the alleged conduct. Nor does the Complaint allege a single instance of Mr. Elfman touching Plaintiff in an unlawful or inappropriate manner, because he never did so."

Before the sexual assault lawsuit he is now denying, Rolling Stone broke the news that a composer named Nomi Abadi sued Danny Elfman for failing to pay two agreed-upon installments of a $830,000 sexual harassment settlement. The two parties agreed to this sum after Abadi brought allegations of repeated incidents of indecent exposure to the Los Angeles Police Department. Elfman denied behaving in the manner that Abadi claimed, but agreed to a financial settlement all the same.

Abadi's unpaid settlement lawsuit brought this case to light in July of 2023. Then, in October, The Hollywood Reporter publicized court documents in which an anonymous Jane Doe XX sued Elfman for charges of sexual assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment, and negligence. It's these allegations in particular that Elfman is denying in his latest statement.

Jane Doe XX recounted meeting Elfman when she was 21 and he was 47. At first, she stated, he hired her as an employee. However, according to her, he eventually started to appear unclothed in her presence without her prior consent. After Elfman admitted to sexual acts in her presence without her knowledge, Jane Doe XX claimed, she cut all ties with him.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).