The writer himself denies ever engaging in sexual relations without the partner's consent.
Three cases against British writer Neil Gaiman and his ex-wife, singer Amanda Palmer, regarding human trafficking have collapsed in American courts, reports the Associated Press. The lawsuits were filed by their former children's nanny, Scarlett Pavlovich, a citizen of New Zealand.
Pavlovich claimed that she met Palmer in Auckland (New Zealand) in 2020, when she was still married to Gaiman. The writer's wife invited her new acquaintance to their home on Waiheke Island to help with household chores and care for the couple's son, CBS News clarifies. At that time, Pavlovich was 22 years old and homeless, and she worked for free.
In February 2022, when the couple was already divorced, Pavlovich was invited to work as the nanny for the former spouses. Now the girl was being paid. However, according to her, on the very first night, Gaiman raped Pavlovich. Despite regular episodes of violence, she continued to work, as she claimed she needed the money, and Gaiman also promised to help her with her literary endeavors.
The lawsuits filed in 2025 noted that Palmer was aware of the harassment but chose not to intervene. Additionally, the plaintiff alleges that the writer's ex-wife deliberately introduced him to Pavlovich so he could fulfill his sexual fantasies. Pavlovich demanded compensation of at least $7 million under the human trafficking statute.
Other women, who did not know each other, also reported harassment by Gaiman to journalists. For instance, in the summer of 2024, the British publication Tortoise Media released a podcast titled "Mr.,” in which two women shared their experiences of sexualized violence. In particular, one of them, Caroline Valner, claimed that Gaiman forced her to have sex with him. In exchange, he allegedly allowed her to live in his house in the northern part of New York State.
Last year, New York Magazine published a major investigation into Neil Gaiman with details of the accusations from his alleged victims.
Shortly after the series of accusations against Gaiman, Disney halted work on the adaptation of his book "The Graveyard Book," while Amazon released only a 90-minute final episode instead of the third season of "Good Omens."
The writer himself denies ever engaging in sexual relations without the partner's consent.
In February 2025, Pavlovich filed a lawsuit against Gaiman and Palmer in Wisconsin state court, accusing the writer of sexualized harassment and his ex-wife of complicity. At the same time, she filed lawsuits against Palmer in two other states—Massachusetts and New York—since she was unsure which court would hear the case due to the defendant's relocation.
In October of last year, Judge James Peterson dismissed the lawsuit filed in Wisconsin, stating that the case should be heard in New Zealand. A similar decision was made on Friday by Judge Nathaniel Gordon in Massachusetts. The lawsuit in New York had previously been withdrawn by Pavlovich herself.
In the motion to dismiss the lawsuit in Wisconsin, Gaiman's attorneys stated that there was a brief relationship between him and Pavlovich based on "voluntary physical intimacy."
The motion also indicated that the New Zealand police conducted an investigation and found the allegations to be unfounded. The attorneys claimed that Pavlovich's lawsuits are part of a plan to tarnish Gaiman's reputation and that any legal disputes should be resolved in New Zealand, not in the United States. It is noteworthy that Gaiman does not hold U.S. citizenship; he is a British subject.
Neil Gaiman is the author of about 50 books in the science fiction and fantasy genres, including bestsellers "American Gods," "The Graveyard Book," "Anansi Boys," and "Coraline."
Gaiman began his career in England as a journalist. His first book was a biography of the band Duran Duran. The second was a biography of English writer Douglas Adams. This was followed by the groundbreaking comic series "The Sandman" in 75 issues, for which Gaiman received numerous American awards, including nine Eisner Awards and three Harvey Awards. In 1991, "The Sandman" became the first comic in history to win a literary award—the World Fantasy Award for Best Short Story.
His novel "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" won the British National Book Award in 2013.
