“The lawsuit labors to create a false impression about my character and my interactions with her. It also rewrites history, in a desperate attempt to transform our relationship of more than three years, which consisted of Plaintiff’s diligent work and very willing non-sexual companionship, into something unwelcome, coercive and odious to her. Nothing could be further from the truth,” the Taxi Driver screenwriter says. “To be absolutely clear: I never had sex in any form with Plaintiff. Nor did I ever attempt such a thing—period. I never exposed myself to Plaintiff—at any time. Our most physically ‘intimate’ experiences together consisted of two kisses on the lips, which occurred months apart. We also often kissed one another on the cheek in gestures of greeting and farewell.”
Schrader was accused by his former production assistant (“Jane Doe”) of exposing his penis to her (after luring her to his hotel room under false pretenses) and sexually assaulting her. In Schrader’s account, they shared two drunken kisses and he backed down after she “indicated displeasure.” He writes that they spent a lot of time together, one on one and at celebrity events, and she never expressed any issues with their working relationship. (He cites several positive social media posts, including one she supposedly deleted in which he claims Doe referred to him as “my man.”) Schrader says that after fishing up a film shoot, Doe went to care for an ailing grandparent; he reduced her salary to around half, with the understanding that she could return to full time when he was next working on a film or find other employment if she wished. The director implies that the reduction of salary prompted her accusations as a means to extort “millions of dollars” from him.
“I understand that in the current climate a defendant accused of sexual harassment is often presumed guilty in the court of public opinion without the fairness of due process– unless and until the defendant proves his or her innocence,” Schrader writes. “But that presumption is not always true. It is not true in this case. I have nothing to hide about my conduct— and that includes my decision not to yield to the pressure of my former assistant’s threat to make her sensational allegations public, a threat that she and her lawyers have now executed. If this case ever makes it to trial, I will be honest with the judge and jury who I am confident will see the truth.” You can read the full letter here.
