This Dec. 2, 2013 file photo shows Bryan Singer at the Los Angeles premiere of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” at the Dolby Theatre. A former child model accusing “X-Men” director Bryan Singer of sex abuse in Hawaii said he wants to dismiss the lawsuit _ not because it lacks merit but because he can’t find a new attorney to represent him. Michael Egan III said in a court filing Wednesday that he previously sought the dismissal in sealed documents in federal court in Honolulu. He wants the case dismissed without prejudice, meaning he could file it again later. AP PHOTO
HONOLULU—A former child model accusing “X-Men” director Bryan Singer of sex abuse in Hawaii said he wants to dismiss the lawsuit — not because it lacks merit but because he can’t find a new attorney to represent him.
Michael Egan III said in a court filing Wednesday that he previously sought the dismissal in sealed documents in federal court in Honolulu. He wants the case dismissed without prejudice, meaning he could file it again later.
His motion to dismiss “has little to do with the strength of (Singer’s) defense, but rather, it is a consequence of the current circumstances regarding my case, my lack of legal counsel, and my inability to proceed in this matter acting on my own behalf,” Egan said in his latest filing.
Egan’s former attorneys asked to be removed from the case after their relationship with him deteriorated.
Singer has filed papers saying he wants the case dismissed with prejudice, with costs and fees imposed against Egan.
“By allowing Egan to walk away from this lawsuit now — without any consequences whatsoever — would be inherently prejudicial to Singer,” his attorneys said in court papers.
The attorneys said Singer must be given the opportunity to clear his name and “dispose of Egan’s malicious lawsuit once and for all.”
Egan, 31, accuses Singer of sexually abusing him during trips to Hawaii when Egan was 17 in 1999. Singer has denied the allegations. Egan previously dropped three similar Hawaii lawsuits against other entertainment figures.
The lawsuits were filed under an unusual state law that created a window for civil cases in sex-abuse cases when the statute of limitations has passed.
One of Singer’s Los Angeles lawyers, Marty Singer, who is not related to the director, previously said in a statement that Egan’s lawyers were willing to settle the case for a low amount, demonstrating a lack of confidence in their chances for success. The amount was not specified.
“The bottom line is this: Egan recognized he’s going to lose this case,” Marty Singer said Thursday. “The real question is does the case get dismissed without prejudice or does the case gets dismissed on the merits? … He should be accountable for filing this frivolous suit.”
Egan’s latest filing lists a phone number for Vince Finaldi, an attorney in Irvine, California, who Egan said has advised him but is not officially representing him. That lawyer didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
A judge denied a request by Egan for a 180-day continuance of a hearing set for next month on Singer’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.