Fired assistant sues Paul Schrader, who denies sexual assault, harassment and retaliation

A former assistant to Paul Schrader has accused the Oscar-nominated writer-director of sexual assault, sexual harassment, retaliation and reneging on a confidential settlement deal.

The accusations came in a complaint filed Thursday in New York seeking a summary judgment regarding enforcement of the settlement, which the “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” screenwriter allegedly agreed to in principle on Feb. 5 but never signed. The former assistant is referred to in court documents as Jane Doe to protect her privacy amid allegations of sexual impropriety.

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Philip J. Kessler, Schrader’s attorney, deemed the lawsuit “desperate, opportunistic and frivolous” in a comment to the Associated Press and said many of its llegations are false or materially misleading. He “absolutely” denied that Schrader ever attempted to have a sexual relationship with Doe and said that his client simply chose not to sign the proposed settlement.

According to a court document, Doe, 26, worked for Schrader, 78, from May 2021 to September 2024. The document alleges he sexually assaulted her in May 2024 during the Cannes Film Festival, where they were promoting his most recent directorial effort, the Richard Gere-Uma Thurman drama “Oh, Canada,” which he also co-wrote.

Schrader forced Doe “to work in a sexually hostile, intimidating, and humiliating environment on a daily, if not hourly, basis,” according to an affirmation by her attorney, Gregory S. Chiarello. “Defendant Schrader’s barrage of sexual harassment included, among other things, sexual assault, forced exposure of his genitals, unwanted sexual advances, repeatedly professing his love and desire to touch Ms. Doe (both verbally and via numerous emails), and near-constant inappropriate sexual questions and lewd and misogynistic commentary.”

The document further alleges that, in Cannes, Schrader at one point ordered Doe to his room where he “trapped her inside, grabbed her arms, and thrust his face into hers to kiss her against her will, and then further restrained her in an effort to keep her in the room.”

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Three days later, after “luring” Doe to his room ostensibly to pack his bags for him, saying he was “dying” and couldn’t do it himself, “Schrader opened the door to his hotel room wearing nothing but an open bathrobe with his penis fully exposed,” the filing says. “As Ms. Doe attempted to pack Mr. Schrader’s bags in terrified silence, he repeatedly commented, ‘I am so sweaty. I sweated through the bedsheets. Feel how wet they are.’ Ms. Doe packed his bags as quickly as she could, and left.”

Schrader sent Doe emails around the same time, the filing alleges, saying, “I sense you recoil every time I have the impulse to touch you” and “Sometimes I get the feeling (not today) that you are afraid I might touch you ... I cringe at the thought you fear I might touch you.”

The writer-director fired Doe in late September after she “refused to acquiesce” to his sexual advances, the document says. Two days later, he emailed Doe, the document says, writing, “I f— up. Big time ... If I have become a Harvey Weinstein in your mind then of course you have no choice but to put me in the rear view mirror.”

After a settlement amount was determined in early February, the filing says, attorneys went back and forth via email about non-material details. The filing says that in late March the writer-director got sick, “did some ‘soul searching’” during the illness and decided he didn’t want to pay the full, agreed-upon amount.

Schrader’s attorney disagreed with that assertion. “The agreement that they’re trying to enforce against Mr. Schrader, in plain English, required both parties to sign it before it became legally effective,” Kessler told the AP. “Mr. Schrader declined to sign it. It’s frankly as simple as that.”

In a letter written to “friends and family” and obtained by The Times, Schrader delivered his version of events and alleged that the lawsuit “labors to create a false impression about my character and my interactions” with Doe and “gratuitously includes some of the sensational, false, and misleading accusations” that were in the initial demand letter from Doe’s attorney.

Schrader said he never had nor attempted to have sex with Doe and that their most “‘intimate’ experiences” together were two kisses on the lips, months apart and both times after both had been drinking. He said she was fine with the first kiss and not OK with the second one, so he apologized and never attempted to kiss her again.

He said he tentatively agreed to a settlement because he thought it was worth it to spend a “small fraction” of the sum originally demanded to avoid “the hurt and harm that the publicity surrounding a lawsuit” like this one would cause, plus the cost of litigation.

“It is more than a little revealing that, throughout her employment, Plaintiff chose on her own to make flattering social media remarks about me, emphasizing her belief in my talent and her delight in my mentorship. I think it is at least as revealing that a number of her social media posts have been deleted since she engaged counsel and asserted her claims. The deletions include her reference to me as ‘my man.’”

Schrader said that he no longer needed a full-time assistant in the summer of 2024 after completing his most recent film and rather than eliminating Doe’s job, he cut her pay by about half — she was caring for her ailing grandfather, who has since died. Schrader also said he hoped she would return to work when he needed full-time help in the future.

“I have nothing to hide about my conduct — and that includes my decision not to yield to the pressure of my former assistant’s threat to make her sensational allegations public, a threat that she and her lawyers have now executed,” he wrote. “If this case ever makes it to trial, I will be honest with the judge and jury, who I am confident will see the truth.”

The settlement amount was redacted from documents associated with the claim. Doe is asking that Schrader pay her the allegedly agreed-upon sum plus interest, court costs, legal fees and additional damages equal to 10% of the settlement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.