The sexual assault lawsuit brought against Neil Gaiman has come to an unexpected and swift end after a Wisconsin federal judge dismissed the case on the grounds that it should have been brought in New Zealand when the claimed offenses took place, and not in the U.S. This technical ending of the case on jurisdictional grounds means that the actual facts of the case, and any jury’s possible view and verdict are now not about it be heard, which really does not put Gaiman in a favorable position.
After months of filings, the Sandman author’s legal team’s argument around the court case being held in the U.S. was the wrong route for the complaint has won over the judge. Judge James D. Peterson ruled that, based on the doctrine of “forum no conveniens,” which gives a judge the right to dismiss a case if another jurisdiction is better suited to hearing the case, the case should not proceed in the U.S. However, Peterson also made it clear that there has been no evaluation of the evidence in the case, and this is not a statement on whether the allegations are true or not.
The case was brought by New Zealand citizen Scarlett Pavlovich, who filed in January 2025 claiming that Gaiman had sexually assaulted her multiple times in 2022 when she worked for him and his wife as a nanny. Gaiman has denied this, and other historical allegations made by other women. The alleged assaults happened in Gaiman’s home in New Zealand, but the fact that he also has a permanent residency in Wisconsin was not enough for the judge to believe that the case should be heard in the U.S. Judge Peterson’s statement said:
“The only connection that Wisconsin or the United States has with this lawsuit is that Gaiman has a residence in this state and he may live here currently. All of the relevant events occurred in New Zealand, Pavlovich is a New Zealand citizen, both parties were living in New Zealand during the relevant time, all relevant evidence and most potential witnesses are located in New Zealand. Gaiman and Amanda Palmer (Gaiman’s wife) now live in the United States, but both of them have agreed to accept service in New Zealand. Under these circumstances, it is clear that New Zealand is the more appropriate forum for resolving this dispute, so the court will dismiss the case without prejudice. If Pavlovich sues Gaiman in New Zealand, and he refuses to accept service there, Pavlovich may move to reopen this case.”
Neil Gaiman Could Be Brought Back to Court
The court case against Gaiman was dismissed without prejudice, which means that Pavlovich can now pursue the case again through a New Zealand court. However, that may not be the end of his U.S. court dealings, as if Gaiman refuses to be served in New Zealand, then the case in the U.S. could be reopened in the future. There is also currently a case outstanding in Massachusetts federal court against Gaiman’s wife, Amanda Palmer, which is potentially going to receive the same dismissal on similar grounds.
The controversy around the claims against Gaiman sparked a quick demise of the author’s several TV and movie projects that were in the works or airing at the time the allegations were made. This included the third season of Good Omens being drastically reduced in length, The Sandman coming to an end after its second season (although its showrunner claimed this was always the intention), and other projects such as a movie based on his novel, The Graveyard Book, being abandoned entirely. This dismissal is not going to change studio sentiment towards the author’s work, and we shouldn’t hold our breath for more Gaiman adaptations being announced in the near future.
- Birthname
-
Neil R. Gaiman
- Birthdate
-
November 10, 1960
- Birthplace
-
Portchester, England, UK
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
