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Bryan Singer Accuser's Lawyers Apologize For 'Untrue' Claims Against Executives
(Left to right) Garth Ancier and David Neuman were previously accused of sexual abuse by Michael Egan. Egan's attorneys have since apologized to them and acknowledged the accusations as "untrue" (Photos by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
The lawyers who formerly represented the man that accused director Bryan Singer of raping him have apologized to two Hollywood executives that were also accused of sexual assault, and acknowledged the allegations were untrue.Garth Ancier and David Neuman—along with Gary Goddard—were sued by Michael Egan days after Egan initially sued X-Men director Bryan Singer for sexually abusing him as part of a Hollywood "pedophile ring." However, those lawsuits were all dropped as the cases fell apart. In addition to the apologies, Ancier and Neuman received seven-figure settlements, according to The Hollywood Reporter, as part of a settlement from countersuits filed by the men.
"Based on what I know now, I believe that I participated in making what I now know to be untrue and provably false allegations against you," wrote attorney Jeff Herman in letters to both Ancier and Neuman. "I have resolved this matter with compensation to you. I am hopeful that you can recover fully."
Attorney Mark Gallagher wrote in identical letters to both men, "I sincerely regret my role in this matter."
"The lawyers who brought this false claim are now making a significant financial payment as part of their apology for bringing a case they acknowledge never had any merit, finally proving that a convicted scam artist's claims about me were entirely made up," said Ancier in a statement. Neuman thanked the support he got from family, friends, and colleagues after a lawsuit "completely fraudulent and filled with whole cloth lies" was filed against him.
Egan has not admitted that the accusations he levied against the men were untrue, even though he has since dropped the cases. In April, he plead guilty to federal charges of wire fraud in a case unrelated to the sex abuse claims.
A new documentary about the alleged Hollywood pedophile sex rings, An Open Secret, is now playing in Seattle and Denver and opens in New York this week. Egan is a participant in the film, though the film had been edited to remove references to Ancier, Neuman, Goddard, and Singer.
Neither Singer or Goddard have filed countersuits, though they both deny the allegations.
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