In a case that drew international attention, three U.S. federal judges have now dismissed all lawsuits accusing British fantasy author Neil Gaiman of sexually assaulting his family’s nanny in New Zealand four years ago. The author, known for global hits like American Gods and Coraline, faced multiple lawsuits filed by Scarlett Pavlovich, who worked for Gaiman and his wife, musician Amanda Palmer.
Pavlovich alleged that Gaiman assaulted her while she worked as the couple’s nanny in 2022, claiming she stayed on the job because she was broke and homeless. The accusations spread quickly through mainstream media, but court after court in the U.S. rejected the filings—each one pointing out that New Zealand, where the alleged events occurred, was the proper jurisdiction. We’ve followed the case closely, the decisions show how weak the legal grounds of these lawsuits truly were.
U.S. District Judge James Peterson in Wisconsin dismissed the first suit in October, ruling that Pavlovich’s claims belonged in a New Zealand forum. Judge Nathaniel Gorton in Boston threw out the Massachusetts filing Friday for the same reason. A third lawsuit in New York never made it that far—Pavlovich herself dropped it. In total, the entire wave of litigation she launched from three different states has now fallen apart.
Pavlovich originally said she met the couple in Auckland in 2020 and later became their nanny on Waiheke Island. She claimed Gaiman first assaulted her in 2022, and alleged that Palmer had known “more than a dozen” similar stories about her husband. In her filings, she demanded at least $7 million and accused both of federal human trafficking violations. Gaiman, however, publicly denied ever taking part in non-consensual acts and called the article printed by New York magazine—which first gave Pavlovich’s story a major spotlight—“false and deeply distressing.”
Gaiman’s attorneys said that their client and Pavlovich had a brief consensual relationship and pointed to a New Zealand police investigation that found her allegations to be “meritless.” They added that her lawsuits were part of a deliberate smear campaign aimed at damaging Gaiman’s career. Pavlovich can refile in New Zealand, as the dismissals were “without prejudice,” and Gaiman/Palmer have consented to service there, but New Zealand police closed the case without charges, supporting Gaiman’s defense that the interactions were consensual
This entire situation shines a light on how instant outrage and global clickbait can outpace real evidence. When celebrity accusations become headlines, should readers expect media outlets to verify the jurisdiction before painting guilt? Or does the emotional narrative simply sell better? Unfortunately for the victims, Hollywood scandal stories tend to crumble once confronted by the law.
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English (US) · 