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What the January 2025 report covered
New York Magazine published a detailed feature in January 2025 describing allegations from eight women. The Associated Press reported that four of those women had previously been featured in Tortoise Media’s reporting. The figure of eight describes the accounts covered by that magazine feature; it should not be treated as a definitive count of every allegation made in subsequent reporting.
Tortoise’s initial report, published July 3, 2024, concerned two women who had been in relationships with Gaiman and alleged non-consensual sexual conduct. One woman, identified by Tortoise as Scarlett, said Gaiman sexually assaulted her within hours of their first meeting in February 2022, when she was nannying his child in New Zealand. Tortoise said it reviewed contemporaneous messages and notes and spoke with friends she had told at the time. These are Scarlett’s allegations and Tortoise’s account of its reporting, not judicial findings.
| Publication or proceeding | Date | Scope or significance |
|---|---|---|
| Tortoise Media’s initial report | July 3, 2024 | Original reporting about allegations from two women, including Scarlett’s account. |
| New York Magazine feature, as reported by the Associated Press | January 2025 | Covered allegations from eight women; four had previously appeared in Tortoise reporting. |
| Wisconsin federal court order | October 3, 2025 | Dismissed Pavlovich’s case without prejudice on forum non conveniens grounds. |
| Seventh Circuit decision | June 29, 2026 | Affirmed the Wisconsin dismissal without prejudice; did not decide the truth of the allegations or whether the federal claim was adequately stated. |
What Gaiman said in response
In a statement posted January 14, 2025, Gaiman denied non-consensual sexual activity. He said he believed messages exchanged with the women reflected consensual relationships, while acknowledging that he had been self-focused and careless with people’s feelings. His statement included this unqualified denial: “I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.” The accounts reported by the women and Gaiman’s denial are competing accounts; the legal decisions described below did not resolve that dispute.
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Why the Wisconsin case was dismissed
Pavlovich sued Gaiman and Palmer in Wisconsin in 2025 over alleged conduct in New Zealand. In October 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin dismissed the case without prejudice under the doctrine of forum non conveniens, concluding that New Zealand was the more appropriate forum.
The district court addressed procedure, not the truth of Pavlovich’s allegations. It said it did not consider evidence Gaiman offered to dispute them because that evidence was not relevant to the procedural motion. The order stated that the issue before it was not whether Pavlovich’s allegations were true. “Rather, Gaiman moves to dismiss the case on procedural grounds, and he asserts two primary arguments.”
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On June 29, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal without prejudice. It held that the district court had not abused its discretion in concluding that New Zealand was an available, adequate and more connected forum. The panel also expressly declined to decide whether Pavlovich had adequately stated a claim under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act. The court’s disposition was: “Thus, we affirm its judgment dismissing this action without prejudice.” That is a procedural outcome, not a trial verdict or a finding that the allegations were true or false.
What happened to the other U.S. cases
In a February 9, 2026 report, the Associated Press said three U.S. lawsuits related to Pavlovich’s allegations had been dismissed:
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- Her New York action against Palmer was voluntarily dismissed.
- The Wisconsin action against Gaiman was dismissed in October 2025 on forum non conveniens grounds.
- The Massachusetts action against Palmer was dismissed on forum grounds in February 2026.
The Seventh Circuit’s June 29, 2026 opinion said the appeal concerning the Massachusetts dismissal remained pending at that time. The status of that appeal after the opinion is not established here. These case dispositions should not be read as judicial determinations about the truth of the reported allegations.
What is known about police reporting
In July 2024, Tortoise quoted New Zealand Police as saying attempts to speak to key people remained ongoing and that the parties’ location was one factor. In January 2025, the Associated Press quoted police as saying they could not answer whether a named individual was or had been under investigation, citing privacy. Those statements were made at different times and in different reports; neither establishes a final police finding.
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Publishers Weekly reported in January 2025 that Dark Horse said it would no longer publish Gaiman’s works and that the Anansi Boys comics series and collection were cancelled. The same report said Norton would not have future projects with him. These are publisher decisions reported at that time, not a complete or current accounting of every professional consequence.
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Sources and attribution
- Associated Press reporting, January 15, 2025, on Gaiman’s response and the New York Magazine feature.
- Tortoise Media, “Exclusive: Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault,” July 3, 2024.
- Neil Gaiman, “Breaking the Silence,” January 14, 2025.
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Pavlovich v. Gaiman, opinion and order filed October 3, 2025.
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Pavlovich v. Gaiman, No. 25-2754, decided June 29, 2026.
- Associated Press reporting on the U.S. lawsuits, February 9, 2026.
- Publishers Weekly reporting on publishers’ responses, January 2025.
- New Zealand Police statements quoted in Tortoise Media and Associated Press reports.
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