Lawyer in Bryan Singer case aims to expose ‘many’ Hollywood predators

More civil lawsuits may be on the way against major Hollywood players in connection with sexual abuse allegations that have ensnared director Bryan Singer and other top entertainment industry figures.

Jeff Herman, the attorney for the man who has accused Singer of abusing him as a teenager, told The Times that he’s heard from other alleged victims. He said he’s investigating these potential new cases and hopes to expose more illegal activity.

“I’ve heard from dozens and dozens alleging they were abused in Hollywood as minors,� Herman said. “We’re investigating those cases. I expect I’ll be filing many more (lawsuits). I intend to expose every Hollywood pedophile and predator I can identify.�

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Michael Egan accused “X-Men� director Bryan Singer in a federal lawsuit, filed in Hawaii, of drugging and sexually assaulting him in the late 1990s. Three other Hollywood executives — Garth Ancier, David Neuman and Gary Goddard — were also named in three subsequent complaints that accused them of abusing Egan.

The lawsuits against Singer and the other men claim that Egan was forced into a “sordid sex ring� in the entertainment industry in which underage boys were supplied alcohol and drugs. Egan alleges that the assaults took place at parties in California and Hawaii when he was 17.

The allegations have caused anxiety in Hollywood that others might be named in civil lawsuits. Herman said the individuals he’s investigating include agents, scouts, producers, directors and other entertainment executives.

“They’re everywhere,� he said. “From what I’m hearing from victims, this runs very, very deep and that there have been many predators in Hollywood for years who have sexually exploited kids.�

Singer and the others named in lawsuits have denied the allegations.

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Ancier is a prominent television executive who has held senior positions at Fox, NBC and CNN. Neuman is a former senior Walt Disney television executive and also worked as chief programming officer for CNN. Goddard founded an entertainment design firm and has produced off-Broadway shows.

Bryan Singer’s attorney Marty Singer (no relation) has called the lawsuit “absurd and defamatory� and said the claims are “completely fabricated.�

Much of the alleged abuse took place at the California estate of the co-founders of Digital Entertainment Network, or DEN, a Web video company that collapsed in 2000. Egan was on the payroll of the company. DEN founder Marc Collins-Rector in 2004 pleaded guilty to charges of transporting five underage boys across state lines to commit illegal sex acts.

Egan was one of three plaintiffs who in 2000 sued three DEN executives, including Collins-Rector, for sexual abuse.

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