The Sandman author has maintained that his encounters with Pavlovich were consensual, admitting in a January 2025 statement he had not always been considerate of the women he was involved with.
“I was emotionally unavailable while being sexually available, self-focused and not as thoughtful as I could or should have been. I was obviously careless with people’s hearts and feelings, and that’s something that I really, deeply regret.”
Several successful screen adaptations of his bestselling works have been developed, including Coraline and American Gods, with multiple other projects being reduced or halted after the scandal.
“It’s been a strange, turbulent and occasionally nightmarish year and a half, but I took my own advice (when things get tough, make good art),” he said, announcing he had begun working on a new book.
Pavlovich was introduced to Gaiman by his estranged wife and former Dresden Dolls member Amanda Palmer when she was a drama student.
The 22-year-old alleged she was repeatedly assaulted by Gaiman over the course of several months, bringing a lawsuit against him that was dismissed by a Wisconsin court judge in October last year.
Judge James D Peterson cited a lack of jurisdiction as Gaiman is British and the alleged offending occurred in New Zealand but left the door open for further legal action in the United States.
“Under these circumstances, it is clear that New Zealand is the more appropriate forum for resolving this dispute, so the court will dismiss the case without prejudice.”