Lawyer: Director not in Hawaii during alleged acts
HONOLULU (AP) — Credit card receipts, telephone records and production schedules show that "X-Men" franchise director Bryan Singer was not in Hawaii when a lawsuit claims he sexually abused a 17-year-old on the islands, a defense attorney said Friday.
Singer was mainly in Toronto working on the first "X-Men" movie from August through October 1999, defense attorney Marty Singer told The Associated Press.
A lawsuit filed by a former child model, Michael Egan III, says Bryan Singer abused him several times over those three months as well as earlier in California as part of a Hollywood sex ring led by another man convicted of luring minors across state lines for sex.
"This was Bryan's first studio film," Marty Singer said. "Clearly, he's not going to take a break in the middle of this movie while you're shooting and prepping it to go to Hawaii."
Egan's lawyer, Jeff Herman, did not immediately respond to phone calls seeking comment.
Egan said Thursday that he was abused by Bryan Singer and others starting when he was 15. He said he was given drugs and promises of a Hollywood career while being threatened and sexually abused in Los Angeles and Hawaii.
The AP does not typically name victims of sex abuse but is naming Egan because he is speaking publicly about his allegations.
Marty Singer, who said previously that he and the director are not related, declined to provide any of the personal records, saying they were private.
He said the filming records were available publicly but 20th Century Fox did not immediately return a phone call and email seeking comment.
"X-Men" was released in July 2000. Singer has directed three films in the blockbuster franchise, including the fifth installment, "X-Men: Days of Future Past," to be released next month, as well as other films including "The Usual Suspects."
His lawyer said the director was never interviewed by any authorities about the claims by Egan, who said Thursday he reported the Los Angeles acts and doesn't know why charges were not pursued.
The lawsuit was filed under a Hawaii law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations in sex abuse cases. The law has led to several lawsuits against clergy members and others.
A judge in Hawaii set a July 21 scheduling hearing in Honolulu for the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday.
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AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report from Los Angeles. Oskar Garcia can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oskargarcia
