Cesar Sanchez-Guzman v. Bryan Singer: Allegations and Settlement

Cesar Sanchez-Guzman’s lawsuit against Bryan Singer, filed in King County Superior Court in Washington in December 2017, alleged that Singer raped Sanchez-Guzman in 2003 aboard a yacht on Lake Washington when Sanchez-Guzman was 17. The case settled in June 2019 for $150,000, paid through Sanchez-Guzman’s bankruptcy estate, with Singer denying the allegations and admitting no wrongdoing.¹

What Sanchez-Guzman Alleged

At the time of the alleged assault, Sanchez-Guzman was a 17-year-old student at Evergreen High School in Burien, Washington, who had recently moved to the area from Portland.² The complaint described a yacht owned by Lester Waters, a technology investor who the lawsuit said “frequently hosted parties for young gay males in the Seattle area.”³ Sanchez-Guzman said he had attended parties at Waters’ Capitol Hill home before being invited on the yacht outing, and that he did not know who Singer was when they met.⁴

According to the complaint, Singer lured Sanchez-Guzman into a private room on the yacht, forced him to perform oral sex, performed oral sex on him, and raped him despite his protests.⁵ Sanchez-Guzman also alleged that Singer afterward offered to help him break into acting in exchange for his silence and warned that he could “hire people who are capable of ruining someone’s reputation” if the incident were reported.⁶

Singer’s Denial

Singer denied the allegations from the day the suit was filed. His attorney Andrew Brettler said Singer “categorically denies” the claims and pointed to Sanchez-Guzman’s 2014 bankruptcy as undermining his credibility, adding that once Singer prevailed he would pursue malicious prosecution claims against Sanchez-Guzman and his lawyers.⁷

After the settlement, Brettler said Singer “denied even knowing this individual, let alone allegedly having interacted with him more than 15 years ago,” and called the payment “purely a business” decision, saying litigation costs would have exceeded the settlement amount.⁸

Sanchez-Guzman was represented by Herman Law, with attorney Daniel Ellis directing the suit. Singer’s team sought to link the case to earlier litigation the firm’s founder, Jeffrey Herman, had brought on behalf of accuser Michael Egan in 2014. Egan dropped four related lawsuits within months, and Herman later issued a written apology to two of the defendants acknowledging he had participated in “making what I now know to be untrue and provably false allegations” against them, resolving malicious prosecution claims with a payment described as “in the seven figures.” Egan was later convicted of fraud in an unrelated federal case.⁹ Herman’s name did not appear on the Sanchez-Guzman complaint itself, though the suit was publicized through his firm.¹⁰

Why a Bankruptcy Trustee Handled the Case

Sanchez-Guzman had filed for bankruptcy in Seattle in 2014, and the case was closed the same year. His potential claims against Singer were not listed as an asset in that filing.¹¹ When the 2017 lawsuit surfaced, the bankruptcy court reopened the older case. Trustee Nancy James concluded that creditors had an interest in any recovery, which made the lawsuit an asset of the bankruptcy estate. Settlement negotiations then ran between Singer’s attorneys and the trustee rather than with Sanchez-Guzman directly.⁵

Singer’s lawyers also argued that Sanchez-Guzman’s failure to disclose the claims in his 2014 filing undermined his right to bring the suit at all.¹²

How He Could Sue 14 Years After the Alleged Assault

Washington law under RCW 4.16.340 allowed civil claims for childhood sexual abuse to be filed within three years of the victim’s discovery that the abuse caused their injury, rather than within three years of the act itself.¹³ The statute also tolled the limitations period for minors until they turned 18.¹⁴ That discovery framework is what allowed the 2017 filing to proceed. Singer’s attorneys still raised the statute of limitations as a factor weighing against the claim.

The Settlement Terms and Where the Money Went

In June 2019, trustee Nancy James filed a motion asking the bankruptcy court to approve a $150,000 settlement. James wrote that Sanchez-Guzman had not produced evidence confirming his attendance at the 2003 yacht party and that Singer’s attorneys had raised statute of limitations arguments, and she concluded these issues favored settling.⁸ A federal judge approved the agreement.¹⁵

Of the $150,000, roughly $61,000 went to creditors, primarily to cover non-dischargeable student loan debt. Additional funds paid bankruptcy administrative costs, and Sanchez-Guzman received the remainder, reported as approximately $34,486.⁵¹⁵ Singer admitted no liability as part of the deal.¹

How This Case Fits With Other Allegations

The Sanchez-Guzman suit was one of several sexual misconduct allegations that have been made against Singer over the years. No criminal charges have been filed against him in connection with any of the accusations, and he has consistently denied them.¹⁶

Earlier misconduct claims arose on the 1998 set of Apt Pupil. In 2014, Michael Egan sued Singer and three other men alleging a sex ring; those suits were all withdrawn.⁹¹⁷¹⁸¹⁶¹⁹

1
The Guardian. Bryan Singer to Pay $150,000 to Settle Allegation
2
The Seattle Times. Seattle Man Sues X-Men Director Bryan Singer, Alleges Sexual Assault in 2003
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The Guardian. Bryan Singer Denies Sexually Assaulting 17-Year-Old Boy at Yacht Party in 2003
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KING 5. Seattle Man Describes Night Bryan Singer Allegedly Raped Him
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Slate. Bryan Singer Cesar Sanchez-Guzman Yacht Rape Settlement Bankruptcy
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ABC News. Director Bryan Singer Sued for Allegedly Sexually Assaulting 17-Year-Old
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Los Angeles Times. Bryan Singer Accused of Sexual Assault of Teen
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Variety. Bryan Singer Sanchez-Guzman Settlement
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Los Angeles Times. Lawyer Issues Apology for Filing False Allegations
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The Hollywood Reporter. Jeff Herman, Go-To Attorney for Hollywood Sex Abuse Claims
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The New York Times. Bryan Singer Cesar Sanchez-Guzman
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Los Angeles Times. Bryan Singer Settlement
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Washington State Legislature. RCW 4.16.340
14
National Conference of State Legislatures. State Civil Statutes of Limitations in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
15
Daily Mail. Bohemian Rhapsody Director Bryan Singer Pays $150,000 to Rape Accuser Cesar Sanchez-Guzman
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Variety. Bryan Singer Blake Stuerman
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NPR. Director Bryan Singer Faces New Scrutiny Over Allegations of Sexual Misconduct
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Los Angeles Times. Bryan Singer Atlantic
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Rolling Stone. Bryan Singer Abuse Allegations Blake Stuerman