”Batman” Producer Ordered to Pay $3M in Sex Case

Movie producer Jon Peters was found guilty of sexually harassing a former personal assistant.

The producer behind "Batman" and "The Color Purple" was ordered to pay Shelly Morita more than $3 million, Reuters reported Friday.

Peters was ordered to pay $822,000 in compensatory damages. In a second phase of the trial, he was ordered to pay an additional $2.5 million for creating a hostile work environment and acting with malice.

Morita, a 44-year-old single mother, claimed the 66-year-old movie mogul inappropriately touched her. In another instance, she alleged he crawled into her bed when they were on the set of "Superman Returns" in Australia.

In the December 2006 suit, Morita also claimed that the producer, who once dated Barbara Streisand, prevented her from obtaining another job when she quit his firm, the L.A. Times reports.

Peters denies any wrongdoing, and his attorney said the verdicts will be appealed.

Selected Reading:L.A. Times, Reuters

Contact Us