Allegations and lawsuits In May 1991 (during the filming of
Out for Justice), Warner Bros. employees Raenne Malone, Nicole Selinger, and Christine Keeve accused Seagal of
sexual harassment. In return for remaining silent, Malone and another woman received around $50,000 each in an out-of-court settlement. Around the same time, at least four actresses said that Seagal had made sexual advances, typically during late-night "casting sessions". In another incident,
Jenny McCarthy said that Seagal asked her to undress during an audition for
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. In 1995, Seagal was charged with
employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and
breach of contract. Cheryl Shuman filed a case against Seagal, accusing him of threatening and beating her during the filming of
On Deadly Ground. In August 1995, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki dismissed the case, calling the claims "repetitive and unintelligible". In her suit, Nguyen alleged Seagal engaged in sexual harassment, the illegal
trafficking of females for sex, failure to prevent sexual harassment, and
wrongful termination. Seagal denied the allegations, but his reality show
Steven Seagal: Lawman was suspended while his attorneys resolved the case. On August 30, 2011, Jesus Sanchez Llovera filed a lawsuit against Seagal over his part in a Maricopa county police raid with heavy weapons (notably including an army surplus tank) of Llovera's residence for suspicion of
cockfighting. The incident was taped for Seagal's A&E reality show
Steven Seagal: Lawman. Llovera was seeking $100,000 for damages caused during the raid and a letter of apology from Seagal to Llovera's children for the death of their family pet. Llovera claimed that his 11-month-old puppy was shot and killed during the raid. Llovera failed to file court-ordered paperwork after his attorney withdrew from the case and the lawsuit was dismissed in January 2013. In 2017, actress
Portia de Rossi accused Seagal of sexually harassing her during a movie audition. De Rossi alleged that during an audition in Seagal's office, he told her "how important it was to have chemistry off-screen" before unzipping his pants. On an April 18 appearance on
Jimmy Kimmel Live!,
Katherine Heigl alleged on the final day of shooting for
Under Siege 2 that Seagal told her that he had girlfriends the same age as the 16-year-old Heigl. Kimmel responded by displaying a photo from the film's promotional tour showing Seagal's hand on Heigl's chest while they posed for a photo. On November 9, 2017, Dutch model Faviola Dadis posted a statement on her Instagram account stating that she also had been sexually assaulted by Seagal years earlier. On January 15, 2018, actress
Rachel Grant publicly accused Seagal of sexually assaulting her in 2002, during pre-production on his direct-to-video film,
Out for a Kill (2003), stating that she lost her job on the film after the incident. In February 2018, the
Los Angeles County District Attorney's office acknowledged that it was reviewing a potential sex-abuse case involving Seagal. In March 2018, Regina Simons publicly claimed that in 1993, when she was 18, Seagal raped her at his home when she arrived for what she thought was a wrap party for the movie
On Deadly Ground. In September 2018, Los Angeles prosecutors refused to charge the actor based on Regina Simons's accusations, due to California's
statute of limitations. Two months later, the case involving the actress Rachel Grant was dismissed for the same reasons.
Victim of attempted extortion Seagal became embroiled in a legal case involving film producer
Julius R. Nasso after Nasso attempted to extort Seagal. Nasso produced seven of Seagal's films beginning with
Marked for Death in 1990. The two "became best friends", according to Seagal, and formed
Seagal/Nasso Productions together. Their relationship became strained, however, and their partnership ended in 2000. Believing that Seagal owed him $3 million in compensation for backing out of a four-film deal, Nasso enlisted members of the
Gambino crime family to threaten Seagal in an attempt to recoup money Nasso allegedly lost. Gambino family captain
Anthony Ciccone first visited Seagal in
Toronto during the filming of
Exit Wounds in October 2000. Seagal, who later claimed that he brought a handgun to the meeting, was able to stall Ciccone and escape the meeting unharmed. In the spring of 2001, Seagal sought out another mobster,
Genovese crime family captain
Angelo Prisco, to act as a "peacemaker". He visited Prisco in prison at
Rahway, New Jersey and paid Prisco's lawyer $10,000. On March 17, 2003, Cassarino, Ciccone and others were convicted of labor racketeering, extortion, and 63 other counts under the
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Seagal testified for the prosecution about the mobsters' extortion attempt. Nasso pleaded guilty to the charge of extortion conspiracy in August 2003. In February 2004, he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, fined $75,000 and ordered to take mental health counselling on release from jail. In January 2008, Nasso agreed to drop a $60 million lawsuit against Seagal for an alleged breach of contract when the two settled out of court.
Conflicts with stuntmen Seagal has been accused by former stunt performers who have worked with him, including
Kane Hodder,
Stephen Quadros, and
Gene LeBell, of intentionally hitting stuntmen during scenes. Additionally, while serving as stunt coordinator for
Out for Justice, LeBell allegedly got into an on-set altercation with Seagal over his mistreatment of some of the film's stunt performers. After the actor claimed that, due to his
aikido training, he was "immune" to being choked unconscious, LeBell supposedly offered Seagal the opportunity to prove it. With Seagal's permission, LeBell then successfully choked him unconscious, with Seagal losing bowel control. Although LeBell has not directly confirmed the rumor, he implied that it was true in a 2012 interview. Seagal's bodyguard and stuntman Steven Lambert stated that a confrontation did happen, during which Seagal elbowed LeBell before he could lock the hold, after which LeBell flipped Seagal. Seagal has directly denied that a confrontation took place, calling LeBell a "sick, pathological scumbag liar".
Robart Wall included LeBell in his "Dirty Dozen", a list of martial artists willing to answer to a public challenge made by Seagal. LeBell however declined to participate, as the feud with Seagal was hurting him professionally. He did however criticize Seagal for his treatment of stuntmen, and left open the possibility of a professional fight if Seagal wanted. Allegations of mistreatment towards stuntmen have continued throughout Seagal's later career, with both stuntman Peter Harris Kent (
Arnold Schwarzenegger's stunt double) and
Mike Leeder publicly criticizing his on-set antics. Actor
John Leguizamo also claimed that during rehearsals on
Executive Decision, in retaliation for laughing at him, Seagal caught him off guard and knocked him into a brick wall.
Michael Jai White, who acted with him in a number of movies, stated that he routinely hit stunt men, and that he was known for it. He said they just accepted it. However, he stated that Seagal never hit him. == Political views and activism ==