'MythBusters' co-host Adam Savage allegedly raped sister for years as kids and nicknamed himself 'raping blob'
In a lawsuit filed against TV personality Adam Savage, it was alleged that he sexually assaulted his younger sister repeatedly for years in the late 1970s.
The accusations were brought against Savage by a person named Miranda Pacchiana, 51, who claimed to be his sister and said that her brother repeatedly raped her between the ages of 7 and 10 years. She added that at the time Savage was between the ages of 9 and 12 and had nicknamed himself the 'raping blob,' masking the abuse as a game.
"Beginning in or about 1976 and continuing until approximately 1979, Adam Savage, would repeatedly rape Miranda Pacchiana and force oral sex upon her, and forced Miranda to perform oral sex on him, along with other forms of sexual abuse," the lawsuit, which was filed at Westchester Supreme Court, New York, read, according to the New York Post.
Pacchiana’s lawyer, Jordan Merson, said in a statement: "The prolific abuse by Mr. Savage as alleged in the Complaint has caused irreparable damage to my client that she will live with for the rest of her life. Today is the first step in the direction of healing and justice."
Meanwhile, Savage, 52, who is best known as the former co-host of the Discovery Channel series 'MythBusters,' has denied his sister's accusations, and released the following statement through his lawyer Andrew Brettler: "While I hope that my sister gets the help she needs to find peace, this needs to end. For many years, she has relentlessly and falsely attacked me and other members of my family to anyone who will listen. By spreading numerous untrue stories about us in pursuit of a financial bonanza, she has tortured our entire family and estranged herself from all of us. I will fight this groundless and offensive lawsuit and work to put this to rest once and for all."
Pacchiana, who is a social worker, wrote a blog about being a survivor of abuse and how opening up about the allegations led her to lose her family.
When I first disclosed to my family that my brother had abused me as a child, I thought my whole world would change," she said. "I assumed my family members would share my desire to examine what had gone wrong in our home and pursue a path toward healing together. I was sadly mistaken. In fact, their behaviors left me feeling as though the abuse didn’t really matter. Yes, they believed me — but my family members still seemed determined to brush my trauma under the rug. Over time, I came to realize they viewed me as the problem for focusing on the abuse. Not the brother who had abused me."
The lawsuit was filed under the special provisions under the New York Child Victims Act, which allows victims to file lawsuits against abusers during a specified one-year 'look-back' window. It gives victims the opportunity to file cases that have already exceeded the statute of limitations. The deadline for filing such lawsuits was extended last month to January 14, 2021, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
During the one year period, survivors of any age can bring lawsuits against their attackers regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred. They can also file civil lawsuits for sexual abuse until they reach the age of 55.