‘Taxi Driver’ writer Paul Schrader accused of sexually assaulting his former assistant

Paul Schrader, the screenwriter behind Taxi Driver, has been accused of sexually assaulting his former personal assistant.

It was alleged in civil court documents seen by The Independent that the unnamed 26-year-old woman was sexually assaulted and harassed over the course of several years, and was fired after refusing to acquiesce to the American Gigolo director’s advances.

It was also claimed that in February, he had reneged on a settlement that was intended to keep the allegations confidential, per an affidavit filed by Jane Doe on Thursday night (April 3) in the New York State Supreme Court.

Schrader’s attorney, Philip Kessler, told the publication on Friday that he had only just received the filing and was still reviewing its contents.

“I can tell you that this looks to me to be a desperate, frivolous, and opportunistic claim,” Kessler said. “The underlying intentions of the plaintiff here contain many very material inaccuracies, and are obviously designed to paint Mr. Schrader in a very false light, in an effort to intimidate and coerce him into settling.

“And just to be very clear, Mr. Schrader never had sex in any form with the plaintiff, nor did he ever attempt such a thing. We will vigorously defend this.”

Meanwhile, attorney Menaka Fernando, a member of Doe’s legal team, told The Independent that Doe was “simply seeking to enforce the settlement agreement between the parties resolving her sexual harassment and sexual assault claims”.

They added that they had no further comments at this time, and asked that the media respect the woman’s privacy.

The motion states the 78-year-old was aware his behaviour was “unwelcome and offensive,” as is said to be evidenced by numerous emails sent to Doe. It continued to say Schrader had “used his position of power over Ms. Doe to sexually assault her, by luring her into a hotel room and forcibly grabbing her and kissing her, despite her verbal protests.

“Three days later, he forced Ms. Doe into his hotel room, under the guise of packing his bags for him, and he exposed his penis to her.”

Doe worked for the filmmaker from May 2021 until her termination in September 2024, throughout which time she alleged Schrader forced her to work in a “sexually hostile, intimidating, and humiliating environment on a daily, if not hourly, basis”.

The motion notes that in addition to sexual assault, there was a sustained “barrage” of harassment by Schrader, which included “forced exposure of his genitals, unwanted sexual advances, repeatedly professing his love and desire to touch Ms. Doe (both verbally and via numerous emails), and near-constant inappropriate sexual questions and lewd and misogynistic commentary.”

While premiering his latest film, Oh, Canada at the Cannes Film Festival last May, Schrader allegedly “demanded Ms. Doe go to his hotel room, trapped her inside, grabbed her arms, and thrust his face into hers to kiss her against her will, and then further restrained her in an effort to keep her in the room before she managed to free herself and flee the hotel room.”

“Three days later, Ms. Doe returned to Defendant Schrader’s hotel room after receiving numerous calls and angry text messages, in which Defendant Schrader claimed that he was ‘dying’ and could not pack his own bags,” Doe’s motion added.

“Afraid, Ms. Doe reluctantly acquiesced. Upon arriving, however, Defendant Schrader opened the door to his hotel room wearing nothing but an open bathrobe with his penis fully exposed. As Ms. Doe attempted to pack Mr. Schrader’s bags in terrified silence, he repeatedly commented, ‘I am so sweaty. I sweated through the bedsheets. Feel how wet they are.’ Ms. Doe packed his bags as quickly as she could, and left.”

It’s alleged he wrote to her last year acknowledging her repulsion, writing: “I sense you recoil every time I have the impulse to touch you.” The motion states he later fired Doe after she refused to succumb to his sexual advances, and is alleged to have written an  email that appeared to recognise his predatory actions.

“So I fucked up. Big time… ,” he purportedly wrote. “If I have become a Harvey Weinstein in your mind then of course you have no choice but to put me in the rear view mirror.” On his Facebook page, Schrader had previously made several posts referencing disgraced director Weinstein, as well as the MeToo era, as seen below. He also said “sexual predation” in Hollywood was once “considered a perk of the system”.

Following the “brutal attack” on Doe and his “countless other acts of sexual harassment,” the motion states she has experienced nightmares, extreme anxiety, and trauma, withdrawing “almost completely from her former life”.

Last month, an attorney for Schrader contacted Doe’s legal team to share said his client had been ill and had done some “soul searching”, which resulted in him no longer wanting to pay Doe the amount agreed to under the settlement agreement.

“According to Defense Counsel, Defendant Schrader also stated that he could not ‘live with himself’ if he performed his obligations under the Settlement Agreement,” the motion says. In turn, Doe filed Thursday night’s motion to compel him to comply with his obligations, revealing the allegations publicly.

The amount of the settlement remains confidential, with details having been redacted in court filings.