USC Film School to Remove Bryan Singer's Name "Until the Allegations Are Resolved" (Exclusive)

"He does not want the pending litigation to have any negative impact on his alma mater," the school said Friday in a statement.

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is removing Bryan Singer's name from its Division of Cinema & Media Studies following accusations of sexual assault.

"Bryan Singer has requested that the USC School of Cinematic Arts suspend the use of his name on the Division of Cinema & Media Studies until the allegations against him are resolved," the university said Friday in a statement. "The School means a great deal to Bryan, and while he intends to defend himself vigorously against these claims, he does not want the pending litigation to have any negative impact on his alma mater."

The news comes one day after a lawsuit was filed against the director that accused him of raping a 17-year-old boy on a yacht in the Seattle area 14 years ago. Singer's attorney Andrew Brettler said in a statement that the director "categorically denies the allegations."

Students at the School of Cinematic Arts had been pressuring USC to sever its ties with Singer in the post-Weinstein era based on previous accusations made against him. A petition had garnered more than 4,000 signatures by the time the statement was made.

Members of the faculty had recently met with Dean Elizabeth Daley to share their own concerns about Singer's continued association with the school, particularly as rumors spread of further allegations soon to be made public.