Russell Brand faces the prospect of a US criminal investigation and civil lawsuits that could total millions of dollars from alleged victims in the United States, a top lawyer has said. The disgraced entertainer, 51, was remanded in custody yesterday after being found guilty of rape and sexual assaults against four women.
He has separately been publicly accused of raping one woman at his home in Los Angeles in July 2012, as well as sexually assaulting another woman in the Californian city after moving there to launch his movie career in 2009.
Existing Civil Claims in the US
A High Court claim has already been lodged by a woman seeking £100,000 in damages over claims Brand forced himself on her at his LA mansion in 2008. The 23-year-old says she fled in terror after he allegedly pushed her onto his bed and tried to perform sex acts against her will.
Brand is also facing a civil claim in New York, where a woman, known only as Jane Doe, has alleged he sexually assaulted her on the set of the romantic comedy Arthur in 2011. Neither of the allegations alleged to have happened in the US was heard during Brand's trial at Southwark Crown Court, as wrongdoing in the States is outside the jurisdiction of UK police.
US Attorney's Comments
US attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represents several victims of Jeffrey Epstein, told the Mirror: "Obviously the authorities in the United States would be interested in any conviction in the UK."
He added: "Each case will have to be taken on its individual merit and merely because somebody may have done something wrong to a woman in the UK does not necessarily mean he's done the same in the US, so they would need to investigate that claim independently to make that adjudication."
Mr Kuvin said more potential victims of Brand, who will be sentenced by a judge on Monday, could now come forward. He said: "I certainly think if there are other victims out there that have not come forward yet, that if he is convicted of a crime in the UK, that they would feel much more comfortable coming forward because now they know he'll be behind bars."
Asked about how much a rape complainant may be able to demand from Brand in a civil case in the US, Mr Kuvin said: "That would be the most severe possible type of case and in my experience of handling these type of cases for over 30 years I would say that case has a value of no less than seven figures in US dollars."
Compensation for UK Victims
Solicitor Alan Collins, a Partner in the Abuse Claims Team at Bolt Burdon Kemp, says Brand's UK-based victims are also entitled to compensation. He said: "The sentencing judge is obliged by law to make a criminal compensation order as part of the sentence. There is no cap."
Mr Collins said compensation typically ranges between £35,000 up to six figure sums. Brand is facing a civil case in the US over an accusation of sexually assaulting a female extra in New York City during the filming of Arthur. The lawsuit, filed in the New York Supreme Court in 2023, claims that Brand "appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set" before the alleged sexual assault.
Court documents further allege that Brand exposed his penis to the woman "in full view of the cast and crew." The affidavit alleges: "The sexual assault happened later that same day when I was in the bathroom. Mr Brand entered after me and assaulted me, as a member of the production crew guarded the door from outside."
Distributor Warner Bros Pictures is also named as a defendant in the case, along with other companies involved in making the film. They are accused of negligence and aiding and abetting Brand by tolerating his behaviour on set. Allegations from four other women regarding Brand were first made in a joint investigation by the Sunday Times, Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. Brand denied the accusations.
