Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault, and rape. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
Former Mythbusters co-host Adam Savage has been accused of sexually abusing his younger sister for several years when they were children, nicknaming himself the “raping blob” while masking the abuse as a game, the sibling has claimed in a lawsuit against the star.
In the suit, Miranda Pacchiana, 51, claimed that Savage had abused her when she was between 7 and 10 years old and he was when they lived in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
“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 filed in Westchester Supreme Court read.
The social worker went on to allege that claimed Savage, who was between 9 and 12 at the time, would “prevent her from leaving the bed” and “anally rape” her.
“As a child, this experience shook my sense of safety and crushed my self-confidence,” Pacchiana said on her blog. “For decades afterwards, I dealt with periods of depression and near-constant anxiety.”
“Eventually, I ended up losing my family. As sad and painful as this has been, I am proud to say that I have survived. Healing from the abuse and my family’s subsequent treatment was my priority. While I will always have scars and the abuse still affects me, I have put the pieces of my broken self back together and built a rewarding life,” she said.
“The public needs to know that Adam Savage sexually abused me when I was a child, as set forth in the lawsuit that I have finally been able to bring after all of these years,” she continued.
Savage has since denied his sister’s abuse claims, with his lawyer Andrew Brettler providing a statement on his behalf that read:
“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,” the statement began.
“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,” Savage said.
The pair’s mother, Karen Savage, has also slammed her daughter’s allegations against her son, saying in a statement via Brettler:
“It makes me very sad to say this, but my daughter suffers from severe mental health challenges, and it’s devastating that she’s putting Adam and our entire family through this. Adam is a good man, and I support him completely,” she said.
Pacchiana’s lawyer Jordan Merson later said that “the prolific abuse by Mr. Savage as alleged in the Complaint” caused “irreparable damage” to Pacchiana that “she will live with for the rest of her life”.
“Today is the first step in the direction of healing and justice.”
