Danny Elfman allegedly defaulted on sexual harassment settlement

Danny Elfman is singing a different tune after sexual harassment allegations are made public.

A new report of Rolling stone found Elfman settled an $830,000 sexual harassment claim in 2018. Composer and musical prodigy Nomi Abadi claimed in July 2018 that mentor Elfman repeatedly exposed himself to her, sent creepy text messages and masturbated several times in his presence without his consent. A Los Angeles Police Department report at the time cited “indecent exposure” in the case. Elfman’s attorney has refuted the claims.

Abadi is now suing Elfman five years later over Elfman’s alleged failure to pay the settlement fee. According to court documents, Abadi “agreed to settle an underlying dispute which included terms that (Elfman) would make payments in four different categories in various installments over the course of five years totaling $830,000.00.” Elfman failed to pay two $42,500 installments in both July 2019 and July 2021, according to the filing.

Abadi, who is 35 years younger than Elfman, met the composer of “Wednesday” in 2015. Among the allegations, Abadi alleges that Elfman gave her a cum-filled martini glass in the summer of 2016; Elfman’s rep is now saying it was a “stupid photo prop” that used Cetaphil, not bodily fluids. Abadi also claims that Elfman took a non-consensual nude photo shoot with her.

Abadi, a member of the Recording Academy, has since founded the nonprofit group Female Composer Safety League to “break stigmas in the industry surrounding trauma and shame.” Abadi addressed Grammy voters as an advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct.

Elfman released a statement to Rolling Stone refuting Abadi’s claims.

“How do I respond to allegations so serious that innocence is not a valid defense? It’s heartbreaking to consider that a 50-year career can be destroyed in a news cycle over scathing and completely false allegations of sexual misconduct,” Tim Burton’s longtime collaborator said. Abadi’s allegations are simply not true. I have allowed someone to get close to me without knowing that I was his “childhood crush” and that his intention was to break up my marriage and replace my wife. When this person understood that I wanted to get away from her, he made it clear that I would pay for rejecting her ”.

Elfman continued, “I allowed an ill-advised friendship to have far-reaching consequences, and that lapse in judgment is entirely my fault. I have done nothing indecent or wrong, and my lawyers are prepared to prove with voluminous evidence that these allegations are false. This is the last thing I will say on this matter.

His attorney classified Elfman’s relationship with Abadi as “limited interactions, which did not involve sexual contact, which were fully consensual.”

Elfman’s rep added, “Faced with threats from the other side to go public with falsehoods at the height of the #MeToo movement, (Elfman) was faced with the impossible choice between settling down and continuing his career and making a living for the his family or decide to fight what was at the time an unwinnable battle to tell the truth: Danny chose his family.It is disappointing, but sadly not surprising, that this unsubstantiated narrative is being revived now that payments have stopped Accusations alone should not and do not amount to guilt, and Danny will defend himself and clear his name with the volume of evidence and the other side’s own words – his words speak for themselves.

The spokesperson continued: “While we cannot comment on a lawsuit we have not received, the fact that it reached the media before the defendant further demonstrates that this is yet another stunt in a years-long campaign to demand money from Mr Elfman and the his family. The allegations are baseless.”

Abadi’s attorney, Jeff Anderson, responded to Elfman’s statements.

“It is ironic that Mr. Elfman’s current statements are directly contrary to the position he has maintained in the underlying litigation and evidentiary record,” Anderson said. “The attacks against Ms. Abadi today by Mr. Elfman and his representatives are as bizarre as his previous behavior towards Ms. Abadi. He pressured Ms. Abadi to sit down for an “art” photo shoot for her to include in her existing photo gallery of him with several other women. To this day he has refused to return those photos.”

Abadi opened up about being an abuse survivor during a February 2023 press conference announcing why she didn’t vote for the Grammys this year. Of note, Elfman was nominated for an award at the ceremony.

“I saw the names of (alleged) abusers who were nominated for Grammys this year and I didn’t get to cast a vote,” Abadi said at the time (via Rolling Stone). “I simply cannot understand the idea of ​​getting along with an industry that allows vilification of silence breakers or a voting process that praises abusers while some of us are barred from career opportunities because we talked openly.”

Abadi added, “There is a clear and urgent need to center on the experiences of sexual assault survivors in the music industry, who have lost their careers because they have been abused and silenced.”