Actor-producer Michael Douglas has come forward to deny as-yet-unaired accusations that he masturbated in front of an employee of his production company, over 30 years ago.
Speaking to Deadline, Douglas said he was taking the unusual step of making a pre-emptive denial after he was informed by his lawyer that film industry trade magazine the Hollywood Reporter was preparing to run a story on the allegations of a woman who worked for Douglas in the mid-1980s. Douglas describes the suggestion that he masturbated in front of her as “a complete lie, fabrication, no truth to it whatsoever”.
Douglas said that the accusations also included a claim that he “used colourful language” in her earshot, as well as on the phone in private conversations, and that he “blackballed” the unnamed woman after she left his employ. Describing the former accusation as “minimal”, Douglas said: “I am sorry if I used coarse language with my friends.” However he denied the claim he had prevented her getting further employment in the film industry, as “completely untrue”.
Saying he had no contact with his accuser for “30-plus years”, Douglas added he was “floored” by the accusations, and that he would “confess to anything I thought I was responsible for”. “There is no evidence. This would not be presented in a court of law. This is way past the statute of limitations.”
