Paul Schrader: Hollywood filmmaker accused of sexually assaulting former female assistant in lawsuit
Hollywood filmmaker Paul Schrader has been accused of sexual assault by his former personal assistant who was allegedly fired after rejecting his advances.
In a lawsuit filed on Thursday in a New York court by a woman identified as Jane Doe, the acclaimed screenwriter behind Taxi Driver and director of American Gigolo is accused of breaching a confidential settlement agreement.
The lawsuit also seeks a judge’s order to enforce the original terms, which included an undisclosed financial payout. “This is an open-and-shut settlement enforcement matter,” said the woman’s attorney, Gregory Chiarello, in the court filing.
Schrader’s attorney, Philip J Kessler, has strongly denied the allegations, describing the lawsuit as “desperate, opportunistic and frivolous,” and rejecting claims of any inappropriate behaviour.
“We absolutely deny that there was ever a sexual relationship of any kind between Mr Schrader and his former assistant, and we deny that Mr Schrader ever made an attempt to have a sexual relationship of any kind with his former assistant,” Kessler said.
According to the lawsuit, the assistant worked for Schrader from 2021 to 2024. She alleges that in May 2023, while promoting Schrader’s latest film Oh, Canada at the Cannes Film Festival, he trapped her in his hotel room, grabbed her arms, and kissed her without consent.
Two days later, the complaint states, Schrader called and texted her repeatedly, claiming he was “dying” and unable to pack his bags. When she arrived to assist him, he allegedly answered the door wearing only an open bathrobe and exposed himself.
The assistant also claims she was dismissed from her role in September 2023 after rejecting further advances. The lawsuit includes an email she claims Schrader sent her, in which he expressed concern that he had become “a Harvey Weinstein” in her mind.
Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood producer, was convicted of rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and faces retrial in a separate New York case later this month.
The lawsuit says Schrader initially agreed to a settlement on February 5, 2024, but later backed out after experiencing illness and what his legal team described as “soul searching.”
“Mr Schrader declined to sign it. It’s frankly as simple as that,” Kessler said, arguing the agreement was never legally binding since both parties had not signed.
Kessler also pointed to past social media posts by the assistant praising Schrader and describing her job as “amazing,” calling him an “extraordinary mentor” and referring to him as “my man.”
Schrader rose to prominence through collaborations with Martin Scorsese, co-writing Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Bringing Out the Dead. He has directed over 20 films, including First Reformed and The Card Counter.
The filmmaker has previously voiced controversial opinions, criticising the Oscars in 2023 as attempting “to be woke” and dismissing cancel culture in 2021 as “so infectious, it’s like the Delta virus.”