Lawyers for man who filed rape case against 'X-Men' director want to be withdrawn

Los Angeles: The attorneys for the man who accused “X-Men” director Bryan Singer of sexually abusing him when he was a minor have asked to be withdrawn from the case, according to a filing on Tuesday in US District Court in Hawaii. [caption id=“attachment_1640903” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] ‘X-Men’ director Bryan Singer was accused by a man of raping him as a minor. AFP[/caption] Lawyers Jeff Herman and Mark Gallagher say in the filing that their relationship with client Michael Egan “has broken down completely and cannot be repaired” and that Egan has a new attorney but will not let them leave the case. Egan, 31, in April, filed a civil lawsuit against Singer weeks before the release of his blockbuster “X-Men: Days of Future Past” accusing the 48-year-old filmmaker of raping him as a minor, a claim Singer denies. Singer’s attorney, Marty Singer, said in a statement that Egan and his attorneys have asked to settle the suit for a relatively small sum compared to the millions of dollars often awarded or agreed upon in such cases. “This was their way of trying to save face after an unsuccessful attempted shakedown of Bryan Singer,” said Marty Singer, who is not related to the director. A source with knowledge of the case who was not authorized to speak publicly said a $100,000 settlement had been agreed to but not finalized. Vince Finaldi, one of Egan’s new attorneys, said his firm does not represent Egan in the Singer case but have been hired to advise him on any potential claims. Herman did not respond to requests for comment. With the help of Herman, a noted child sex abuse litigator, Egan filed lawsuits against three other entertainment executives in Hawaii. Each of the lawsuits which alleged abuse as a minor have been dismissed. Garth Ancier, who worked at networks Fox and NBC, has also filed a malicious prosecution lawsuit in Hawaii against Egan, Herman and Gallagher. Marty Singer said Bryan Singer will do the same. Reuters