UPDATE: Rovier Carrington’s lawsuit against Brad Grey and Brian Graden was dismissed with prejudice in 2019; following a further investigation, Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled in September 2020 that Carrington “fabricated, or caused to be fabricated, several key emails, and then lied about their provenance” in the case and forbade Carrington “from filing any future suits in federal or state court” involving the defendants or similar claims.
PREVIOUSLY: A man who says he’s the great-grandson of Moe Howard, of the legendary “Three Stooges” vaudeville comedy team, filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing the late Paramount chief Brad Grey of having raped him. In the suit, obtained by TheWrap, Rovier Carrington also accuses Brian Graden, a former head of programming at MTV Networks, of sexual misconduct.
Carrington said in the legal filing that he was also tricked by Viacom into signing a non-disclosure agreement over his misconduct claims. He is demanding $100 million in damages. The lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court.
The lawsuit also contends that Graden stole his idea for a gay reality dating show after the two engaged in a two-year relationship.
In his lawsuit, Carrington said that he was sexually assaulted by Brad Grey, the late CEO and chairman of Paramount Pictures.
According to Carrington, Grey invited him to a dinner. Grey then drove Carrington home and parked his car. It was then, according to the lawsuit, Grey “began kissing Carrington all over his face, neck and mouth.”
When Carrington rebuffed his advances, Grey became violent, the lawsuit said, as he slammed Carrington’s face into the window.
“The abruptness of Grey’s personality from dinner until that moment completely took [Carrington] off-guard and he did not know how to react,” states the complaint. “Grey indicated to Carrington, that if he did not have sex with him, he would destroy any chance [he] had of building a career in the entertainment industry.”
Carrington claims that Grey then pulled his pants down and performed oral sex on him, and eventually anally raped him.
“Carrington as expected, was conflated; crying, scared and did not want to go through with having sex,” the complaint went on to say. “Grey demanded Carrington drink alcohol to make it easier, at which point he proceeded to pour the spirit down Carrington’s throat, ripped off his clothes, and proceeded to anally rape him, without a condom.”
Following the encounter, Carrington claims he was asked by Viacom’s human resource department to sign a non-disclosure agreement. To sweeten the deal, the documents say, he was promised an envelope filled with money. Carrington said that after he declined the offer, he was blacklisted by Viacom.
A rep for Viacom told TheWrap in a statement: “We take allegations of this sort seriously, and are reviewing the complaint.”
Grey, a former Hollywood talent manager was the head of Paramount from 2005 to 2017. He died of cancer shortly after leaving his job at age 59.
Carrington said during that time he came into contact with Brian Graden through a gay dating site. Graden, best known for helping Matt Stone and Trey Parker develop the hit animated series “South Park,” was running MTV at the time and launching the Logo Network for Viacom.
“Graden indicated to Carrington that if he wished to move forward with his reality show, and come off Viacom’s banned list, that he would be required to have sex with Graden, Carrington agreed, as having sex with Graden was now his only option if he wanted to work in the entertainment industry,” the lawsuit states.
Graden’s lawyer, Larry Stein, told TheWrap in a statement: “This sensationalized and meritless lawsuit is particularly egregious as it attacks two respected executives, one of whom is an industry icon whose death prevents him from defending himself, and the other, who has had a long, sterling and unblemished career free of any implication of inappropriate behavior personally or professionally. The complaint, which reads more like fiction than fact, seems to be based more upon Mr. Carrington’s entitled belief that he is ‘Hollywood royalty’ with a ‘pedigree of a star’ because he claims his great grandfather was one of the Three Stooges, than on facts. It is unfortunately too common for wannabes to hold on to their entitlement, but uncommon for such claims to make headlines by use of hyperbole and baseless allegations of rape and conspiratorial extortionist conduct. The complaint ends just as it started, wildly untethered to reality, seeking damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars. We are confident that Mr. Graden will be fully vindicated and Mr. Carrington will be exposed for what and who he truly is.”
Carrington is seeking $50 million in actual and compensatory damages and another $50 million in exemplary and punitive damages.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.