Lawyers for Hollywood sex abuse accuser want out

HONOLULU — Lawyers for a former child model accusing X-Men director Bryan Singer of sex abuse said yesterday (July 29) they want to get off the case because their relationship with the accuser has deteriorated.

Attorneys Jeff Herman and Mark Gallagher filed a motion in United States District Court in Honolulu asking to withdraw as counsel for Michael Egan III. They say they no longer talk to Egan except through a new lawyer.

Egan, now 31, accuses Singer in a lawsuit of sexually abusing him during trips to Hawaii when he was 17 in 1999. Singer has denied the allegations.

The California law firm cited in the filing as representing Egan declined to comment.

Gallagher declined to comment, directing questions to Herman. Herman did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press.

Singer’s lawyer, Marty Singer, said in a statement that Egan’s lawyers were willing to settle the case for a low amount, demonstrating a “lack of confidence in their chances for success”. The amount was not specified.

“Bryan and his team will continue to fight to clear his name and intend to pursue charges of malicious prosecution against Egan,” Marty Singer said.

Gallagher and Herman said in their filing that their relationship with Egan “has broken down completely and cannot be repaired”.

The lawyers said they could not give a full explanation except under seal.

Egan previously dropped three similar Hawaii lawsuits against other Hollywood figures. One of the men, former network television executive Garth Ancier, responded with a malicious prosecution lawsuit against Egan, saying the accusations damaged his reputation.

The lawsuits were filed under an unusual state law that created a window for civil cases in sex abuse cases where the statute of limitations has passed.

The lawyer shuffle in Egan’s case against Singer comes as the court is scheduled to consider a motion from Singer to dismiss the case on Sept 9.

As part of that motion, Singer filed a signed declaration saying he was never in Hawaii during the time Egan claimed in the lawsuit and didn’t have sexual contact with him. Singer said he was working on the first X-Men film in the Toronto at the time. AP