X-Men director Bryan Singer sued in second teen sex abuse case

A British man who accuses “X-Men” director Bryan Singer of sexually abusing him as a teenager was spurred to bring a lawsuit against the filmmaker.

His decision to sue was prompted by another man on similar allegations, the plaintiff’s lawyer said Monday.

The lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles said that Singer, 48, and entertainment industry executive Gary Goddard, 59, coerced the British man into sex acts as a minor.

He had promised to help him in an acting career. The man was not identified in court papers.

This is the second lawsuit naming Singer ahead of the May 23 release of his film “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” which is expected to be one of the year’s top grossing movies.

Singer’s lawyer has called the allegations in both lawsuits false and fabrications, and a bid to win money from the director behind other films in the “X-Men” super hero franchise.

A lawyer for Goddard also denied the allegations, calling them spurious.

The lawsuit said the abuse happened between 2003 and 2006 and seeks unspecified damages.

The plaintiff’s lawyer, Jeff Herman, also represents Michael Egan, who last month sued Singer, Goddard and two other entertainment executives over allegations that they abused him as part of an underage sex ring in Hollywood.

“He did this to support Mike, he realised he wasn’t the only one this happened to,” Herman said at a news conference.

Herman specializes in child sex abuse cases and was successful in litigation against a former Roman Catholic priest accused of raping boys.

Singer will not participate in promotion for the 20th Century Fox’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” because of the lawsuits.

The lawsuit filed on Monday accuses Singer of sexually abusing the plaintiff at age 17 in a London hotel room after the premiere of his 2006 film “Superman Returns.”

In that incident, according to the lawsuit, Goddard is said to have gotten a “large, muscle-bound man” to smack the plaintiff after he had told Singer and Goddard to stop grabbing him in a sexual manner.

Goddard is also accused of having sex with the plaintiff at age 16 in London and convincing the plaintiff to send him naked photos of himself.

Goddard produced youth TV programmes in the 1980s and 1990s and his company, The Goddard Group, has created attractions at theme parks, including Universal Studios.

Chibok abduction: Nigeria welcomes support, says US State Dept

The United States Department of State on Tuesday said Nigeria had accepted its offer to help in rescuing no fewer than 200 girls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, who were kidnapped by the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, over three weeks ago.

According to a brief statement on the CNN, the Department said Nigeria “welcomes offer of US support in search for hundreds of the kidnapped girls.”

Details later…

UN Secretary-General visits South Sudan

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, arrived in Juba on Tuesday for a one-day visit to South Sudan, according to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
In a press release on Tuesday, the mission said Ban would meet with the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Mayardit.
“Ever since the beginning of the current crisis, the Secretary-General has repeatedly called on the leaders to find a political solution and to put an end to the violence which has led to the suffering of so many innocent civilians,” it stated.
The release said the UN head would also visit, with his Special Representative and Head of UNMISS, Ms. Hilde Johnson, the protection of civilians site in the UNMISS Tomping compound.
However, he would meet with the community leaders representing the thousands of civilians who have sought shelter in the UN compound to hear of their concerns first hand.
The statement said Ban would also, while in Juba, have an opportunity to meet with civil society leaders, especially from women’s and religious groups.
He was also expected to meet with UN staff and peacekeepers to express gratitude to them for their dedication and service.
The statement said this was in view of the way they have continued to help protect thousands of South Sudanese civilians who are at risk during the ongoing crisis.