William Ivey Long sued over sexual abuse allegations
TW: The following story includes details of alleged sexual abuse.
Tony winning costume designer, William Ivey Long, has been sued over allegations of sexual abuse by one of his alleged victims. According to the lawsuit, the abuse took place in 2002 during the production of The Lost Colony at the Roanoke Island Historical Association(RIHA).
Court Watson says he faced "repeated grooming, sexual harassment, and ultimately rape” at the hands of Long and that staff at RHIA worked to cover up and ignore multiple allegations against Long from other victims. RHIA was also named as a defendant in the suit.
Watson filed his suit a day before the New York Adult Survivors Act expired on Thanksgiving Day. The one-year act has allowed alleged survivors of sexual abuse to file civil claims past the normal statute of limitations.
In his suit, Watson repeats the accusations that NPR reported two years ago. They include the allegation that in 2002, Long had sex with Watson when he was drunk and could not consent.
Long's attorney, Pearl Zuchlewski, said to NPR that she was unable to comment because she was unaware of any developments prior to NPR's request. In 2021, however, she said that Long "emphatically denied" all allegations against him.
“Watson's lawsuit includes a claim that in 2008 — years after the alleged rape — he encountered Long in the hallway of a New York City costume shop. He alleges that Long grabbed him by both shoulders and touched his face, "saying words to the effect of 'My! Don't you look great. You've finally gone through puberty!'" Watson says he was left shaking with anxiety — and in this lawsuit, it is noted as an alleged incident of "forcible touching." The suit also includes a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress against both Long and RIHA, due to Long "sexually assaulting him, forcibly touching him, and humiliating him."
Watson's suit includes as support a 2002 lawsuit filed against RIHA by a former Lost Colony production manager named Mary Elizabeth Stewart. Her suit incorporated several other serious allegations of sexual misconduct against Long between 1999 and 2001. In her suit, Stewart stated that multiple people working at The Lost Colony reported to her that Long had sexually assaulted or harassed them, and that RIHA took no action against him; she also asserted that when she went to RIHA leadership and the board to complain about his behavior, she was fired.
Stewart's suit was settled in 2003; NPR has not found any record of a police report or criminal charges ever having been filed in reference to the allegations Stewart included in her suit. In 2021, Long's attorney, Pearl Zuchlewski, told NPR that "RIHA never informed [Long] of Stewart's claim," and said that he only learned of her suit in 2020. Long emphatically denied the allegations included in Stewart's suit.”
In a written statement to NPR about his suit, Watson said: "I'm disappointed that even after quietly parting ways with my abuser, the Roanoke Island Historical Association is still choosing to protect him. Despite their months of delay and bad faith, I look forward to public accountability, and want to keep the door open for other survivors to tell their stories. In my own work I will continue to advocate for safe, respectful, diverse spaces where creative risks can be taken without harassment or abuse."