After “Game of Thrones” star Joseph Gatto was arrested and charged with “crossing state lines and engaging in sexually explicit online communications with a minor,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, He filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and others for $40 million.
The 52-year-old actor was arrested in April 2022 and released the same day after posting $5,000 bail. Gatt vehemently denied the charges at the time, and the charges were dropped in February.
On Thursday, Gatto filed a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that a “grossly botched criminal investigation” based on “the uncorroborated word of someone who was 16 years old at the time and clearly an avid fan of Gatto” had ruined his career. He claimed that he had caused “intentional destruction.” He also had a bad reputation after he was “publicly branded a serial pedophile,” according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
“Game of Thrones” star Joseph Gatto has filed a lawsuit seeking $40 million against Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and others. (Getty)
The lawsuit names Gascon, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Angela Brunson, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Denos Amarantos, and the City of Los Angeles as defendants.
‘Game of Thrones’ actor Joseph Gatto arrested for sex crime with minor
“Without any cause, much less any cause, the defendants threatened, threatened, and coerced Gutt, a successful actor who has appeared in numerous films and television series, including “Game of Thrones” and “Banshee.” , unlawful detention, unlawful search and seizure of property, and malicious prosecution that Gatto allegedly communicated electronically with a minor in a sexually explicit manner,” the document reads. It is stated in.
In the lawsuit, Gatto claimed that the arrest and investigation were the result of the alleged actions of a teenage fan, referred to in documents as “Jane Doe,” who he “does not know and has never met in person.”
The documents say the defendants did not interview “Jane Doe” until nearly a year after Gatto was arrested, charged with “baseless crimes” and labeled a serial pedophile. is listed.
The 52-year-old actor was arrested in April 2022 and charged with “conducting online sexually explicit communications with a minor across state lines.” The charges were dismissed in February. (Photo credit: Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic)
According to the documents, a fan friend surprised her with a cameo video of Gut in October 2020, in which he celebrated her 16th birthday. “Jane Doe”, who lives in Washington state, reached out to Gatto on her Instagram to thank her for wishing her a happy birthday.
Over the next two to three months, the boy continued to message Gatto on Instagram, and Gatto “replied in a manner that was entirely appropriate and consistent with typical celebrity-fan interactions,” according to the complaint. .
“Unbeknownst to Gutt, Jane Doe was clearly a big fan of Gutt around this time and was already using a naked photo of him. “The image appears to have been found and downloaded by Jane Doe herself, and was already using the Internet as the lock screen on her phone even before Gatto had any interaction with her,” the document states. There is.
“Gatt also revealed that Jane Doe had publicly stated that she had sexual dreams about him, and that a photo of her from an appearance on the TV show ‘Z Nation’ was downloaded from the Internet and Photoshopped. “I also learned much later that Gatto had a fake tattoo of my name on his chest, right bicep,” the complaint added.
“Unbeknownst to Gatto, Jane Doe apparently used software readily available on the internet for the specific purpose of creating fake social media conversations to deceive and impress her friends. then completely fabricated a false conversation of a sexual nature between himself and Gatto via the social media platform Snapchat, “naturally and in pure fantasy,” the lawsuit continued.
In addition to Gascón, Gatto is suing Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Angela Brunson, LAPD Detective Denos Amarantos, and the city of Los Angeles. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
According to the complaint, Jane Doe’s sister discovered the fake Snapchat message, took a photo of it with her cell phone, and sent it to a Washington police department. The documents say investigators referred the case to the LA DA and LAPD in December 2021 after learning Gatto no longer lived in Washington.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of failing to verify the authenticity of the “obviously fake” photo before Gatt was arrested and charged.
“Gatt was arrested and charged based solely on unauthenticated photos of social media conversations that appeared on an unidentified phone screen, which on the surface looked highly suspicious and facially unreliable. This was not possible,” the document states.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Deputy District Attorney Branson “attempted to destroy Gatto based solely on prejudice and personal enmity” stemming from political differences.
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According to documents, Branson and Gatto were active members of Los Angeles’ high-performance sports car community, and the deputy district attorney’s boyfriend worked at a motorsports tuning shop that Branson frequented.
“Mr. Gatto’s liberal political beliefs, including his vocal support for the Black Lives Matter movement and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, have led him to become popular in the high-performance sports car world in general, and among DDA Branson in particular,” the document said. It was well known.” .
“Like most in the high-performance sports car world, DDA Branson espoused conservative political beliefs that were diametrically opposed to Gatto’s beliefs, and despite working under Gascón at the LA DA, she was also a vocal critic of Gascón.
The complaint alleges that Branson “ignored clear red flags” in the evidence against Gatto before arresting and indicting him.
Last summer, Brunson left Gascón’s office to take a position with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
Gut appeared in the fourth season of “Game of Thrones.” (Photo courtesy of Leon Bennett)
In the filing, Gatt said he lost professional opportunities after the defendants made statements to the press labeling him a serial pedophile.
“Gatt was immediately canceled and his previously thriving acting career was ruined,” the suit says. “Gatt’s agent and publicist immediately fired him, fired him from the two films he had already appeared in, and recast him in the third film he had been hired to play the lead role in.
“Additionally, in at least two other films he had already shot, his scenes were almost completely cut or reshot with different actors, so he was not invited to the premiere. “I immediately stopped receiving any further offers or audition opportunities, and instead received numerous offers to perform.”I received death threats and was stalked and pursued by a Daily Mail reporter.”
The document said Gatto hired a private forensic investigator to examine the evidence. In the lawsuit, the defendants claim investigators refused to present their findings in court and dismissed the case.
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According to the complaint, Gatto has not worked as an actor since his arrest and had to sell his performance car, a Ford Shelby GT500, to cover legal costs.
“As a direct result of Defendants’ reckless investigation and malicious prosecution, Gatto has suffered immense emotional pain and suffering, has become physically ill, and his reputation has been completely destroyed,” the lawsuit says. insisted.
Gatto said he has not worked as an actor since his arrest. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega)
According to the complaint, Gatto is seeking “more than $40 million in damages incurred as a result of Defendants’ violations of his constitutional rights.”
Representatives for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
In a statement to FOX News Digital, Dean Z. Pamfilis, a partner at Kasowitz Benson Torres and Mr. Gatto’s attorney, said in a statement to FOX News Digital, “The arrest and indictment against Mr. Gatto are the result of a joint investigation by the Los Angeles Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Police Department. This has been branded as a series of incidents.” Pedophile — was based on fabricated evidence. ”
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“Twenty months later, when the fabricated evidence was finally disclosed to Mr. Gatto and Mr. Gatto’s forensic experts were ready to reveal the truth in open court, the Los Angeles Prosecutor’s Office voluntarily dismissed the criminal charges. “I did,” Pamfilis continued. “However, Mr. Gatto has already lost his community, his acting career, and his personal reputation. We look forward to recovering Mr. Gatto’s significant losses in court.”
Gatto is represented by Pamfilis, J. Michael Wilson, Daniel A. Sanders and Sarah Wolfe.
The actor played Sen Warg in the fourth season of “Game of Thrones.” He is also known for portraying an “albino” in the Cinemax action show “Banshee.” Other credits include roles in films such as “Black Adam,” “Dumbo,” “Titanic 666” and “The Retaliators.”
