Filmmaker Paul Schrader has been accused of sexually harassing a former assistant and withdrawing from a confidential financial settlement that was negotiated to resolve her claims. The allegations were made in a motion filed Thursday in New York Supreme Court by a 26-year-old woman identified as Jane Doe.
According to the filing, the incidents occurred during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where Schrader was attending the premiere of his film Oh, Canada. Doe alleges that Schrader, 78, groped her and tried to kiss her without consent. She claims that three days later, he asked her to come to his hotel room, told her he was dying, and then exposed himself.
Doe states that after rejecting his advances, Schrader terminated her employment. She had worked for him for more than three years. Her attorneys claim that Schrader later acknowledged the inappropriate conduct, and that the two sides reached an agreement on a financial settlement. The proposed arrangement would have paid her over a seven-month period.
The court filing states that Schrader and his legal team negotiated the terms but never signed the agreement. After several weeks, Schrader allegedly told her attorneys that he had gone through an illness and no longer intended to pay. Doe’s attorneys now argue that the agreement was already binding, even without a signature.
Her legal team is asking the court to enforce the original settlement and is also seeking damages, attorney’s fees, and interest.
Schrader’s attorney, Philip Kessler, disputes the claims. In a statement to Variety, he said the settlement is not enforceable because it was never signed. “We regard this breach of contract claim as desperate, opportunistic and frivolous,” he said. He also described Doe’s version of events as “loaded with inaccuracies” and “materially misleading.”
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In an interview with Indiewire, Kessler said that Schrader and Doe kissed twice after drinking, and that Schrader stopped when she asked him to. Kessler pointed to Doe’s past social media posts about Schrader, claiming they were positive and were removed around the time legal discussions began.
The court documents include messages Doe says she received from Schrader. In one message quoted in the filing, he wrote, “I sense you are uncomfortable with my affection for you… I cringe at the thought you fear I might touch you.”
Doe also alleges that during her employment, she experienced repeated inappropriate sexual questions and comments, along with other behavior she describes as degrading.
Her attorneys argue that she was fired in direct response to rejecting further advances, and that the post-employment agreement was made in response to her hiring legal representation.
Schrader is known for his screenwriting work on films such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, and for directing First Reformed. He was awarded a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement by the Venice Film Festival in 2022.
