Jimmy Fallon, Tracy Morgan, Lorne Michaels to be Added to Child Sex Abuse Lawsuit against Horatio Sanz and NBC

NEW YORK, NY – Crumiller is proud to represent Jane Doe, the victim of child sex abuse by former Saturday Night Live star Horatio Sanz. Today, we filed in New York State Supreme Court a motion for leave to file a proposed Amended Complaint that adds Jimmy Fallon, Tracy Morgan and Lorne Michaels as individual defendants, shedding new light on the abuses that took place at SNL more than 20 years ago.

The move was made possible thanks to a recent amendment to NYC’s Gender Motivated Violence Act (GMVA), a local law that allows victims of gender-based violence to file civil lawsuits against abusers and enablers. The amended GMVA creates a two-year “lookback window” for expired civil claims of gender violence, similar to New York’s Child Victims Act. Jane’s new GMVA claims will be revived when the lookback window opens on March 1, 2023.

Today, Jane’s tragic story of sexual abuse is revealed in much greater detail than previously reported. According to the filing, Michaels fostered a predatory environment at SNL in which visibly underage teenage girls were a regular presence at SNL’s legendary “after-parties” and “after-after parties,” where alcohol was provided to them by NBC. Fallon and Morgan were willing participants in this disturbing culture that ultimately led Jane to be sexually assaulted by Sanz at an SNL party with numerous witnesses present. After the assault, Jane suffered lifelong trauma and her mental health and career aspirations were completely detailed.

The case is Jane Doe v. NBCUniversal Media., No. 951302/2021 in New York State Supreme Court.

Statement from Susan Crumiller, attorney for Jane Doe:

“Sanz and his enablers lured Jane into their celebrity world and made her feel like a cool kid for drinking and partying with a bunch of famous grown-ups. Instead, they destroyed her life. Jane has spent the past two decades struggling with the repercussions of what they did to her; now it’s their turn. We look forward to holding NBC, Sanz, and everyone else who enabled this disgusting behavior accountable when the GMVA lookback window opens in March.”

Crumiller is a feminist litigation firm that fights discrimination and sexual abuse in the workplace, healthcare and beyond.

Media Contact: Jacob Eidinger
jacob@crumiller.com
(212) 390-8480