Third sex abuse lawsuit by ex-child model dropped

HONOLULU — A former aspiring model who accused several Hollywood figures of sexually abusing him as a child dropped a third lawsuit on Saturday, leaving only one suit open against “X-Men” franchise director Bryan Singer.

Lawyers for Michael Egan III said in a federal court filing in Honolulu on Saturday morning that they were dismissing a lawsuit against theater producer Gary Wayne Goddard. Egan earlier dropped lawsuits against two television executives.

Egan’s lawyers did not explain why they dropped the lawsuit in their two-page filing, saying only that the matter was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Egan can refile the lawsuit if he chooses.

Egan’s lawyer in Honolulu, Mark Gallagher, declined comment and referred questions to Egan’s lead attorney, Jeff Herman. Herman’s spokeswoman declined comment, and Singer declined comment through a spokesman. A representative for Goddard did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment on Saturday.

Egan had accused the men of sexually abusing him as a child during trips to Hawaii in 1999 when he was 17 years old. He filed suit under an unusual state law that created a window for civil lawsuits in sex abuse cases where the statute of limitations has passed. The men have denied the allegations, and Singer has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit against him. A hearing is set in the Singer case for Aug. 4.

Earlier this week, Egan dropped a lawsuit against former network television executive Garth Ancier. Ancier responded Friday by filing a malicious-prosecution lawsuit against Egan, saying the accusations had damaged his reputation. Ancier said he never visited the estate in Hawaii where Egan claims he was abused.

Ancier is seeking punitive damages. He claimed he has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars defending himself.