Bryan Singer lawsuit: Attorney for plaintiff also handled ‘Elmo’ case

The lawyer that’s representing a man who is accusing director Bryan Singer of sexual assault isn’t new to these kinds of cases.

Jeff Herman filed a complaint late Wednesday in Hawaii federal court claiming the filmmaker of preying on his then-17-year-old client at parties in the late 1990s. Singer’s attorney denied those charges.

The plaintiff in the case is now 31.

In 2012, Herman was the lawyer behind a similar lawsuit filed against former “Elmo” puppeteer Kevin Clash. In that case, Herman’s clients claimed Clash sexually abused them when they were minors.

Herman, whose practice advocates itself as a “Voice for Victims,” said he is outspoken on child sexual abuse cases.

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“It’s almost like this sort of secret that everyone knows about,” Herman said in a phone interview. “Kids are being abused and the industry goes on and people are afraid to say something.”

Singer’s attorney denies the allegations.

In the case of Clash, a federal judge in Manhattan dismissed three sexual abuse lawsuits brought against him. The judge said that the men had exceeded a six-year statute of limitations in filing their complaints.

Herman is hoping this won’t be an issue in Hawaii, where he said “a window was created about two years ago which allowed cases that would otherwise be too late to file because of statute of limitations.”

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saba.hamedy@latimes.com

Twitter: @saba_h