As a wave of sexual misconduct allegations continues to sweep over Hollywood, the latest person to find themselves in the hot seat is Stan Lee. The Marvel Comics stalwart and straight up legend has been accused by multiple women of acting inappropriately with and towards them, and though Lee and his team have vehemently denied everything, these reports are still disturbing.
According to The Daily Mail, a nursing company that cared for him has filed numerous complaints and won’t work with Lee anymore, saying that he’s “demanded oral sex” from their nurses, “groped them and walked around naked in front of them.” The comic book writer’s lawyers have already sent out a cease and desist letter, but now that this is out in the open, it’s going to be hard for them to shut things down.
Tom Lallas, a lawyer for Stan Lee, had the following to say about the accusations:
“Mr. Lee categorically denies these false and despicable allegations and he fully intends to fight to protect his stellar good name and impeccable character.
We are not aware of anyone filing a civil action, or reporting these issues to the police, which for any genuine claim would be the more appropriate way for it to be handled.
Instead, Mr. Lee has received demands to pay money and threats that if he does not do so, the accuser will go to the media.
Mr Lee will not be extorted or blackmailed, and will pay no money to anyone because he has done absolutely nothing wrong.”
What makes things even more tricky is that various sources have come forth with conflicting reports. One person notes that Stan has “lost his way,” saying:
“He doesn’t seem to care what people think of him, he’s lost his filter. There has been a stream of young nurses coming to his house in West Hollywood and he has been sexually harassing them. He finds it funny. He walks around naked and is vulgar towards the women, he asks them for oral sex in the shower and wants to be pleasured in his bedroom. He uses the word p***y and f**k in their presence. He’s also very handsy and has groped some of the women, it’s unacceptable behavior, especially from an icon like Stan.”
Meanwhile, another unnamed source has leapt to Lee’s defense, explaining:
“People think because of Stan’s age he’s an easy target and he can be forced into giving them money. I don’t believe these allegations…Stan is being taken advantage of.”
Where the truth ultimately lies is unclear at this stage, but this is yet another troubling story of sexual misconduct within Hollywood and we can only hope that Stan Lee is able to clear his name should he be able to prove his innocence. If he is indeed guilty of all this though, well, then that’s another matter entirely and will no doubt come as a huge blow to Marvel fans and the geek industry in general.