Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels Accused of Enabling Horatio Sanz Sexual Assault

A woman suing Horatio Sanz for sexual assault has asked the court's permission to add Jimmy Fallon, Tracy Morgan, and Lorne Michaels to her lawsuit as defendants for enabling Sanz's behavior. 

Identified only as Jane Doe, the woman filed the lawsuit in August 2021 under a two-year "lookback window" law that allows child sex abuse victims to bring claims even after the statute of limitations has expired. Doe's lawsuit alleges that Sanz "groomed" her when she was a teenage fan of the show and assaulted her at a party hosted by Tracy Morgan in May 2002 when she was just 17 years old. The complaint also claims that Doe and her teen friends attended many Saturday Night Live after-parties between 2000 and 2002, and that Fallon and Sanz regularly drank with them at these events. She alleges that Fallon once asked her about her age and she truthfully responded that she was a junior in high school, and that she also met Michaels at one of the parties and received career advice from him.

Doe's amended complaint paints an ugly picture of the culture at Saturday Night Live, and alleges that over a dozen NBCU employees - including beloved cast members - witnessed Sanz's misconduct. NBC has also been named in the suit. According to the complaint, Sanz confessed over text in 2019. He wrote that he "felt terrible" about his actions, referring to "the Tracy party". "It was a fucking big mistake," he wrote. "I’m very sorry. If you want to metoo me you have every right."

NBC intends to renew its motion to dismiss the lawsuit, while Fallon, Michaels, and Morgan have not commented on the case. Sanz denied the allegations through his attorney when the lawsuit was filed last August.

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Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.