Danny Elfman Lawsuit Tossed By Judge
Musician Danny Elfman averted a potential financial setback today when a judge in a civil suit against him rejected the petitioner’s request. The female accuser, who is identified under the pseudonym Jane Doe XX, filed a suit against the composer last year and claimed that he sexually abused her between 1997 and 2002. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa K. Sepe-Wiesenfeld issued the ruling based on the plaintiff’s failure to provide the court with any evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Additionally, the judge took issue with the plaintiff’s timing in filing the action against Danny Elfman. The court maintained that the suit was not filed within the California statute of limitations for multiple allegations.
A Failure To Provide Evidence
Jane Doe XX asserted in the court filing that she originally met Danny Elfman when she was 21 years old. The then 47-year-old musician would allegedly walk around naked in front of the plaintiff and “expose his genitals to her.” The complaint continues, citing an alleged incident in 1998 that accused Elfman of sleeping naked next to her.
Jane Doe XX stated in the legal filing that she was in between homes during that period and was temporarily living with Danny Elfman. The plaintiff included in her complaint that Elfman told her that he would engage in self-gratification every time they slept next to each other.
Elfman Was On The Attack
Last month, Danny Elfman’s attorneys argued that Jane Doe XX’s “allegation that Elfman undressed in her presence and masturbated while she slept is not, as a matter of law, sexual assault” and maintained that such claims are “fatally defective.” The legal team also honed in on the plaintiff’s numerous “speculative statements” in which she said that she “could have been” assaulted.
Another Allegation
The Jane Doe XX filing against Danny Elfman is not the first time that the Oingo Boingo band member has been accused of sexual inappropriateness. Fellow composer Nomi Abadi sued Elfman for an incident that occurred in 2016, which included accusations of sexual harassment. The two settled on an $830,000 payout to Abadi, which she says Elfman partially defaulted on.
Abadi also accused Danny Elfman of violating the nondisclosure agreement the parties signed when he gave some details regarding the incident in a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone.
A Long And Successful Musical Career
Elfman, whose band Oingo Boingo scored a mega-hit with the 1985 single “Weird Science,” rose from pop stardom to becoming an award-winning cinematic composer. He has been nominated for and received more than two dozen BMI awards, ranging from TV themes for the hit animated series The Simpsons to his motion picture scores for Tim Burton films that include Beetlejuice, Batman, and Sleepy Hollow.
Multiple Award Winning Soundstracks
Danny Elfman has also been nominated for five Emmys, winning in 2005, 2016, and 2023 for his themes for Desperate Housewives, Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton, and the title theme for the Netflix series Wednesday.
While Danny Elfman has yet to receive the little gold statue, the composer has been nominated for four Academy Awards. Two of his scores were up for the Oscars in 1998 (Men in Black and Good Will Hunting), with Big Fish garnering a nomination in 2004 and Milk in 2009.
