Somehow, Neil Gaiman decided to suck even more
Neil Gaiman was accused of sexual assault by a number of women, spanning decades. Now, he took the allegations one step further and is suing one of his alleged victims because she, reportedly, broke an NDA that the Good Omens author had her sign.
Caroline Wallner worked as caretakers on Gaiman’s Woodstock property with her then-husband. When the two got a divorce, Gaiman allowed Wallner to stay on his property with her children. She alleged that Gaiman wanted her to exchange sexual favors for her home. “‘I like our trade,’” she claimed Gaiman said. “‘You take care of me, and I’ll take care of you.’”
In a piece by Vulture, it was pointed out that Gaiman paid Wallner $275,000 in a settlement that included Wallner signing a NDA. He told New York Magazine, at the time of her accusations, that it was Wallner who initiated a sexual relationship with Gaiman and yet he paid her money and settled with her in 2021. Now, Gaiman is suing her and claiming that she broke their confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions and wants the $275,000 back. He also wants her to pay for attorneys’ fees and $50,000 for every interview she gave.
Wallner’s lawyer, Vincent White, was shocked by Gaiman’s lawsuit. He said that you rarely see men accused of “really heinous acts” firing back against their alleged victims in this way. White said, “everyone thinks, Oh, the allegation must be true. I would think he may have come to the conclusion he has nothing left to lose.”
It certainly isn’t the move
Gaiman’s response to Wallner doesn’t instantly come across as an admission of guilt but it isn’t helping the public image of the author. The once beloved penman has since become a dark cloud for fans of his work. Because of the numerous allegations against him, projects inspired by his work have been put on hold. Many were upset over learning that shows like Good Omens and Sandman would be impacted by Gaiman.
To then turn his status and money against one of his alleged victims doesn’t really make him seem like he’s taking this seriously, in my opinion. As White pointed out, most of these cases, specifically sexual assault allegations with NDAs attached, don’t usually have the one being accused suing the alleged victim.
Whatever Gaiman’s move here, asking Wallner (and her ex-husband) to pay more than his original pay out to her is certainly a choice. We don’t know yet how far the lawsuit will go or how it will fall on Wallner, who has been trying to work with White to get her NDA dismissed, but for now, we know that Gaiman is trying to get over $350,000 dollars from his alleged victim.
As of this writing, Sandman was canceled after the second season and Good Omens has been paused because of the allegations against Gaiman. Frankly? Good. If he wants to use his time and money to sue a woman he has already paid off once and made her sign an NDA, then those shows do not need to be released.
(featured image: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Writers Guild of America East)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
