Actor Horatio Sanz, a former cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” has been sued by a Pennsylvania woman who accuses him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
A lawsuit filed in New York alleges that Sanz assaulted the woman, who is suing as a Jane Doe, in May 2002. It also accuses him of drinking with her at “SNL” parties in New York when she was underage, according to TMZ.
According to the suit, the accuser first came in contact with Sanz at age 15, when she was running a fan website for the long-running variety show. The lawsuit describes the actor as flirty and affectionate when they met in person and says he would turn their online chats toward sexual topics.
Sanz “groped her breasts and her butt and digitally penetrated her without her consent” at an “SNL” party in 2002, according to the lawsuit. As a result, the accuser says, she became depressed and ashamed.
In addition, the lawsuit accuses Sanz of asking the then-teenage girl to send photos of herself performing sexual acts and of using disparaging terms like “slut,” “slutty” and “bitch.”
She attempted to self-medicate with “dissociative drugs” before eventually being hospitalized for treatment, the lawsuit states.
SNL Studios and NBCUniversal Media are also named as defendants in the suit, which claims that both entities were aware of Sanz’s behavior toward the girl as well as her age.
Although talk show host Jimmy Fallon is named in the suit, he is not a target for litigation. He is cited as a person who was aware the victim was in high school when she was drinking in his company.
The lawsuit claims the accuser last saw Sanz two summers ago at a comedy event in New York and the actor allegedly admitted to masturbating during their conversations when she was underage.
Sanz allegedly said he “felt terrible about” his actions in a text message dated Nov. 27, 2019, but insisted he’s now a “different person.”
“I was a creep but a wounded creep. And I’ve tried to make amends since quitting drinking,” he allegedly texted to her.
SNL Studios and NBCUniversal declined to comment on the suit, but Sanz’s lawyer, Andrew Brettler, issued a statement denying the allegations and claiming the accuser had asked for money in exchange for her silence.
“This individual’s claims about Horatio Sanz are categorically false. However often she repeats her ludicrous allegations or tries to rope in other high-profile names to generate media attention, they will always be false.”
“Before filing this lawsuit anonymously, she demanded $7.5 million in exchange for her silence. We, of course, refused and will vigorously contest these totally meritless claims.”
Read the lawsuit below.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
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