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British actor-comedian Russell Brand was accused in a lawsuit filed on Friday (Nov 3) of sexually assaulting a film extra on the New York City set of the 2011 romantic comedy Arthur, in which he starred as a boozing, philandering heir to a fortune .
The suit follows a recent flurry of allegations reported in the British news media against the 48-year-old performer by several women accusing him of sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour, some dating back 20 years.
British police have said they were investigating a number of the allegations, but the New York lawsuit filed on Friday marks the first such accusation leveled in court.
It was brought in state court under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which gives accusers a one-year window to sue over alleged sexual abuse from a long time ago, even if statutes of limitations have expired.
Warner Bros Pictures, which distributed Arthur, also was named as a defendant, along with other companies involved in the film production. They were accused of negligence and of aiding and abetting Brand by tolerating his misconduct on the set.
Brand in September denied on his social media channels having ever engaged in non-consensual sex. His representatives in New York and London did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the newly filed lawsuit. Neither did Warner Bros.
The complaint was brought by a woman identified only as Jane Doe who said she was hired to appear as a cast "extra" in a scene from Arthur filmed at Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan in July of 2010.
The film, a box office dud that drew generally negative reviews, was a remake of a highly successful 1981 movie starring Dudley Moore in the title role as a drunken New York City millionaire on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress when he falls for a free-spirited, working-class woman.
According to the lawsuit, Brand was visibly intoxicated during the production and exposed his genitalia to the plaintiff as he sat at a table staring at her, "openly and obviously in the presence of everyone on set," including film studio employees who treated his behaviour as acceptable.
Afterward, the complaint alleges, Brand followed the woman into a restroom, where he again pulled down his pants, then shoved her into a stall and forced her to perform oral sex on him, all while a production crew member stood directly outside as if to guard the door.
The accuser says the assault caused "severe psychological injuries" and economic losses.
The suit seeks unspecified money damages from Brand on grounds of assault, battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress.
Brand, the former husband of US pop singer Katy Perry and once one of Britain's most high-profile comedians and broadcasters, had repositioned himself in recent years as an internet social commentator, logging more than 6 million followers on his YouTube channel.
YouTube in September said it had blocked Brand from earning further revenues from the online video platform in light of his alleged sexual misconduct.
Source: Reuters
英国演员拉塞尔·布兰德在纽约诉讼中被控性侵犯
英国演员兼喜剧演员拉塞尔·布兰德 (Russell Brand) 在周五（11 月 3 日）提起的诉讼中被指控在 2011 年浪漫喜剧亚瑟 (Arthur) 的纽约片场对一名临时演员进行性侵犯，他在该片中饰演一位酗酒、花心的财富继承人 。
在这起诉讼之前，英国新闻媒体最近报道了几名女性对这位 48 岁表演者的一系列指控，指控他性侵犯和不当行为，其中一些指控可以追溯到 20 年前。
英国警方表示，他们正在调查多项指控，但周五提起的纽约诉讼标志着首次在法庭上提出此类指控。
该案是根据纽约州《成人幸存者法》向州法院提起的，该法规定原告有一年的时间可以就很久以前的性虐待指控提起诉讼，即使诉讼时效已过。
发行《亚瑟》的华纳兄弟影业公司以及其他参与电影制作的公司也被列为被告。 他们被指控疏忽大意，并通过容忍布兰德在片场的不当行为来帮助和教唆他。
布兰德九月份在他的社交媒体渠道上否认曾从事过未经同意的性行为。 他在纽约和伦敦的代表没有立即回应对新提起的诉讼发表评论的请求。 华纳兄弟也没有。
该投诉是由一位名叫 Jane Doe 的女士提出的，她表示，她受雇在 2010 年 7 月在曼哈顿 Le Cirque 餐厅拍摄的《亚瑟》中的一个场景中担任“临时演员”。
这部电影票房不佳，招致普遍负面评价，翻拍自 1981 年一部非常成功的电影，由达德利·摩尔主演，饰演一位醉酒的纽约百万富翁，在与一位富有的女继承人包办婚姻的边缘跌倒。 对于一位自由奔放的工人阶级女性来说。
根据诉讼称，布兰德在拍摄过程中明显喝醉了，当他坐在桌子旁盯着原告时，“公开地、明显地当着所有人的面”，包括对待他行为的电影制片厂员工，向原告暴露了自己的生殖器。 可以接受。
起诉书称，随后布兰德尾随该女子进入洗手间，再次脱下裤子，然后将她推到一个隔间里，强迫她为他进行口交，而一名制作人员就站在外面，好像在 看守门。
原告称，这次袭击造成了“严重的心理伤害”和经济损失。
该诉讼以袭击、殴打、非法监禁和造成精神痛苦为由，向布兰德寻求金额不详的赔偿。
布兰德是美国流行歌手凯蒂·佩里的前夫，曾经是英国最知名的喜剧演员和广播员之一，近年来将自己重新定位为互联网社会评论员，在他的 YouTube 频道上拥有超过 600 万粉丝。
YouTube 在 9 月份表示，鉴于布兰德涉嫌不当性行为，该公司已阻止他从该在线视频平台获得更多收入。
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