Acclaimed Filmmaker Paul Schrader Faces Sexual Assault Lawsuit From Former Assistant

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Acclaimed Filmmaker Paul Schrader Faces Sexual Assault Lawsuit From Former Assistant

Paul Schrader, the masterful screenwriter of Taxi Driver and director of American Gigolo, may be better known for his noteworthy artistic works. Still, his latest headline has grimly reverberated through Hollywood.

His former personal assistant, referred to only as Jane Doe in court papers, is suing him for sexual assault, wrongful termination, and breach of a confidential settlement agreement. The assistant, 26, alleges that the 78-year-old Oscar-winning director made unwanted advances toward her in 2022 when he was in town for the Cannes Film Festival to promote his new film, “Oh, Canada,” and later fired her for jilted.

The lawsuit alleges frightening episodes, from an alleged forced kiss to inappropriate exposure. One of Schrader’s lawyers has firmly denied all allegations, describing the lawsuit as “desperate, opportunistic, and frivolous.” The case comes at a particularly sensitive time in the entertainment industry, just months after a wave of #MeToo revelations has changed the power structure in Hollywood.

The controversy is particularly remarkable considering Schrader’s prestigious career — the screenwriter and director has worked with Martin Scorsese multiple times and earned an Academy Award nomination for “First Reformed.” The legal fight partly focuses on whether a settlement agreement between the parties was executed correctly — each claims that the other’s version is worthless.

The Allegations and Legal Dispute

In a New York court on Thursday, Jane Doe filed her lawsuit against Schrader, accusing the filmmaker of “trapping” her in his hotel room at the Cannes Film Festival, where they were to promote “Oh, Canada.” The suit accuses him of grasping her arms and kissing her against her wishes.

That same day, the filing says, Schrader called and texted him multiple times, saying he was “dying” and unable to pack the bags. When she came to his home in response to his invitation, she claims he opened the door wearing just an open bathrobe and exposed himself to her.

Schrader fired her in September after she rebuffed his advances. Soon after her firing, Schrader emailed her that he feared he’d become “a Harvey Weinstein” in her mind — a nod to the disgraced producer who became the poster child for the #MeToo movement.

The lawsuit centers on enforcing a settlement agreement that, according to Doe, Schrader agreed to on February 5 but later backed out of. After an illness, Schrader had “done some soul searching” and told his lawyers he “could not live with the settlement,” the lawsuit said.

“This is an open-and-shut settlement enforcement matter,” Doe’s lawyer, Gregory Chiarello, said in court documents.

The Defense Response

Schrader’s lawyer, Philip J. Kessler, has vigorously disputed the allegations and the existence of a binding settlement. “We 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 attempted to have a sexual relationship of any kind with his former assistant,” Kessler said.

Regarding the contested settlement, Kessler stated, “The agreement that they’re trying to enforce against Mr. Schrader, in plain English, necessitated both parties to sign the agreement before it became legally effective. Mr. Schrader refused to endorse it. It’s as simple as that, quite frankly.”

Besides pointing to Doe’s social media posts about her employment from 2021 to 2024, the attorney indicated she expressed love for her job while calling Schrader an “extraordinary mentor” and “my man.”

Schrader’s Career and Recent Controversies

Paul Schrader’s impressive career spans decades, dating back to his breakthrough partnership with Martin Scorsese on 1976’s Taxi Driver. The film lent the world one of its most memorable movie lines, “You talkin’ to me,” which ranks among the American Film Institute’s most influential movie quotes.

Schrader also wrote the script for Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” (1980) and was the author of “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988) and “Bringing Out the Dead” (1999). As a director, he has directed 23 films, including American Gigolo (1980). His sole Academy Award nomination was for writing First Reformed, a 2017 film he also directed.

Schrader has made headlines in recent years with incendiary comments. He made inflammatory comments about Donald Trump’s election on Facebook in 2016 that brought a police visit, he said.

In 2021, he bemoaned what he said was the #MeToo movement’s so-called “cancel culture,” equating it to a virus. He had denounced the Academy Awards in 2023 for efforts to foster diversity among nominees, saying they were “scrambling to be woke.”

FAQs

Q. What is Paul Schrader being accused of?

A. Paul Schrader is being accused of sexual assault by his former personal assistant, firing her after she turned down his advances, and refusing to honor a confidential settlement agreement intended to settle the case.

Q. Has Schrader taken responsibility for anything?

A. No. In a statement through his lawyer, Schrader has denied the allegations and maintains that he never made any sexual advances toward his former assistant or pursued a sexual relationship with her.

Q. Where does the lawsuit stand now?

A. The ex-assistant has asked the court to enforce the settlement agreement, which she says Schrader agreed to but later refused to sign. The case is in a New York court.

Q. When did the alleged incidents take place?

A. According to the lawsuit, the alleged incidents took place in 2023 at the Cannes Film Festival, when Schrader and his assistant were in town to promote his film “Oh, Canada. ” The assistant was said to have been terminated in September 2023.

Q: How long did the assistant work for Schrader?

A. The assistant, identified as Jane Doe in the court documents, worked for Schrader from 2021 to 2024.

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