New lawsuit alleges 'X-Men' director Bryan Singer raped a 17-year-old boy

Andrea Mandell | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Bryan Singer sued for allegedly raping 17-year-old boy in 2003 Bryan Singer is being sued for allegedly raping a 17-year-old boy in 2003, according to legal documents.

Director Bryan Singer, who has directed X-Men films and was fired this week from his Queen biopic, has been accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Washington state, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman says the incident happened in 2003 when he attended a party on a yacht in the Seattle area. Sanchez-Guzman was 17 at the time.

The civil suit, obtained by USA TODAY, claims Singer offered to take Sanchez-Guzman on a tour of the yacht. When they arrived at one of the rooms, the suit alleges Singer "forced Cesar to the floor, shoved Cesar’s face against his crotch area and demanded Cesar perform oral sex on him." The suit says Singer then forcibly anally penetrated Sanchez-Guzman.

Singer later promised he would help Sanchez-Guzman in Hollywood if he didn't tell anyone what had happened, the suit says.

The allegation hits the same week Singer was fired from his film Bohemian Rhapsody, which has been filming in London.

Reports had surfaced that Singer, 52, had been absent from the set in recent weeks, forcing production to shut down last Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Singer defended himself publicly, saying in a statement he was in the U.S. helping an ailing parent.

20th Century Fox replaced him on Wednesday with Eddie the Eagle director Dexter Fletcher.

Sanchez-Guzman is asking for damages related to experiencing "severe psychological, mental and emotional injuries, shame, humiliation and loss of enjoyment of life."

A representative for Singer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY, but a statement shared with Variety said the director "categorically denies these allegations and will vehemently defend this lawsuit to the very end ... Once Bryan prevails, he will pursue his own claims for malicious prosecution.”