Horatio Sanz accuser says Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels and Tracy Morgan enabled sex assault
Sanz’s lawyer Andrew Brettler described the claims as ‘categorically false’ and ‘ludicrous’
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A woman who is suing former Saturday Night Live star Horatio Sanz for sexual assault has claimed that Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels, and Tracy Morgan enabled his misconduct.
On Tuesday (23 August), the accuser named Jane Doe, filed legal papers to add Fallon, Michaels, and Morgan’s names to a 2021 lawsuit in which she accuses Sanz of sexually assaulting her when she was 17 years old.
According to the papers, the woman claims that Michaels fostered an environment at SNL where underage girls were a regular presence at the after-parties.
The documents additionally claim that alcohol was served to teens at those parties hosted by NBC.
Jane Doe also claims that Morgan and Fallon were a part of the party culture that enabled Sanz to sexually assault her.
According to Deadline, the paperwork states the assault happened at an SNL party in 2002 with numerous witnesses present.
The Independent has contacted Fallon, Michales, and Morgan’s representatives for comment.
Jane Doe’s attorney Susan Crumiller issued a statement about the addition, saying: “Sanz and his enablers lured Jane into their celebrity world and made her feel like a cool kid for drinking and partying with a bunch of famous grown-ups.
“Instead, they destroyed her life. Jane has spent the past two decades struggling with the repercussions of what they did to her; now it’s their turn. We look forward to holding NBC, Sanz, and everyone else who enabled this disgusting behaviour accountable when the GMVA lookback window opens in March.”
An NBC spokesperson also issues a statement, saying: “Regardless of Jane Doe’s changing narratives, NBC intends to renew its motion to dismiss.”
This legal move was presumingly made after the recent amendment to NYC’s Gender Motivated Violence Act, which allows victims of gender-based violence to file civil lawsuits against abusers and enablers.
It is claimed in the filing that Jane Doe first came into contact with Sanz at the age of 15, when she ran an SNL fan website. It is then alleged that Sanz supplied her with alcohol at an afterparty for the show, before groping and digitally penetrating her.
Sanz’s lawyer Andrew Brettler described the claims as “categorically false” and “ludicrous”.
“Before filing this lawsuit anonymously, she demanded $7.5m in exchange for her silence,” he claimed, in a statement to TMZ. “We, of course, refused and will vigorously contest these totally meritless claims.”
“However often she repeats her ludicrous allegations or tries to rope in other high-profile names to generate media attention, they will always be false.”
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.