Danny Elfman, Legendary Hollywood Composer, Accused Of Sexual Misconduct
Danny Elfman is being sued for breach of contract in connection with a non-disclosure agreement regarding accusations of indecent exposure brought against him in 2017. According to Variety, Grammy-nominated composer and pianist Nomi Adabi is suing the legendary film composer following the cessation of payments on an $830,000 settlement between the two.
In her original complaint filed with police in 2017, Adabi claimed Elfman had exposed himself to her on multiple occasions, including pleasuring himself in her presence and sending suggestive photos.
Danny Elfman denies the accusations, saying they stem from the fact that Adabi had long had a crush on the Batman composer and that she had sought to instigate a sexual relationship with him and pull him away from his wife.
Adabi also claims Danny Elfman talked her into posing for nude photos that he described at the time as “artistic,” but which she felt were inappropriate. Elfman strenuously denies her claims, saying that their relationship was “platonic”.
Futher, Danny Elfman says the accusations stem from the fact that Adabi had long had a crush on the Batman composer and that she had sought to instigate a sexual relationship with him and pull him away from his wife. He describes their friendship as “consensual” and non-sexual” and Adabi’s accusations as “false,” denying that the purported photo shoot ever took place.
Danny Elfman has been a prolific and prominent composer of scores for films and television for decades, well known for his long collaboration with Tim Burton on films including Planet of the Apes, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and many more.
He also composed the opening theme for The Simpsons, along with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, the Men in Black series, and the Netflix series Wednesday. He began his career with the band Oingo Boingo and has recently begun releasing his own albums of original rock music again.
Adabi says that Danny Elfman would answer his door wearing only an open robe, saying he preferred to work naked.
Attorneys for Danny Elfman point to the fact that the recent allegations hit the media before they got to him as evidence that they are a stunt meant to harm the composer after he, according to his own account, spurned Adabi’s advances.
They also claim to have substantial evidence to undermine Adabi’s claims against their client. For their part, Adabi’s legal team says that she approached Elfman as a mentor and that he is the one who crossed a line and began behaving inappropriately toward her.
Among other claims, Adabi says that Danny Elfman would answer his door wearing only an open robe, saying he preferred to work naked, and that he claimed that bringing himself to arousal was part of his creative process. The LAPD report from 2017 categorizes all the acts of which Elfman was accused as “indecent exposure,” and Adabi has made no claims of rape or other sexual misconduct.
Danny Elfman has been a prolific and prominent composer of scores for films and television for decades, well known for his long collaborations with Tim Burton.
Of course, these accusations are only coming to light now as part of Adabi’s claim that Elfman has violated the terms of the NDA she signed in 2018.
The legal team for Danny Elfman seems to acknowledge that the payments, some of which were earmarked for charity, have stopped. Whether the four agreed-upon installments were stopped early and, if so, why remains to be seen. It is unclear from the report in Variety what motivation Elfman would have had for stopping the payments and whether he and his team are disputing that claim.
At this point, Danny Elfman seems focused on protecting his reputation and defending himself against the indecent exposure allegations. Adabi, founder of the Female Composer Safety League (FCSL), which seeks to empower women in the music industry, remains adamant that she is exposing inappropriate behaviors that go on in studio environments. No court dates have yet been set.
