‘Star Trek,’ ‘Transformers’ Writer Roberto Orci Accused of Beating and Sexually Assaulting His Wife
Roberto Orci, a screenwriter on the “Star Trek” and “Transformers” franchises, was accused in a lawsuit Monday of repeatedly beating and sexually assaulting his wife.
Adele Heather Taylor, an actor in “The Blacklist,” “Hail, Caesar!” and more, alleges in the suit that Orci was bipolar, an alcoholic and would fly into violent rages. She alleges that he would call her a “slut,” a “whore” and would drag her around the house and beat her, leaving bruises all over her body.
More from Variety
In May 2022, she alleges that Orci chased her into the garden and pinned her down on the ground and threatened to rape her. The following month, she alleges that he sexually assaulted her in the garden, telling her, “You enjoy being raped.”
She also alleges that Orci called the police on her in April 2020, after she had tried to fight him off, and that she was arrested for domestic abuse. He bailed her out, according to the suit.
Taylor left Orci after another assault in December 2022, the suit states. In that instance, Taylor made an audio recording of Orci threatening to beat her and to throw her out the front door, and bragging that if she called the cops, she would not be believed because she had previously been arrested.
“You got nothing on me, babe,” he said in the recording, according to the suit. “I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
Following that incident, he filed a restraining order against her and filed for divorce. Orci’s lawyer, Daniel Paluch, disputed the allegations.
“My client denies the allegations and is looking forward to litigating the case in the appropriate forum, which is the court,” he said via email.
Orci sued Taylor in June, accusing her of repeatedly assaulting him. Among other things, he alleged that she shot him with a Taser and pepper-sprayed him.
Orci conceded in his suit that he had long struggled with alcoholism, was hospitalized numerous times in recent years for related conditions and had undergone multiple stints in rehab.
His lawsuit accused Taylor of taking advantage of his weakened condition and manipulating him to give her money and property.
Taylor’s countersuit came in response to Orci’s suit. In it, she states that she and Orci agreed to put most of their assets into a family trust, which would be split 50-50. She alleges that Orci has since reneged on the agreement and refused to provide financial support.
In response to the countersuit, Orci’s lawyer Sallie Hofmeister said in a statement: “Ms. Taylor’s counterclaim is an attempt to retaliate against her husband with fabricated allegations after he got a restraining order against her, filed for divorce, and sued her in June for assault, battery, and financially abusing him when he was vulnerable and trying to get treatment for alcoholism. Her history of violent behavior is well documented, having been arrested at least twice during their marriage–once after she tried strangling her husband and he called the police, and once when a Vegas hotel called the authorities after Mr. Orci showed up in the lobby, locked out of his room by his wife, bloodied and half dressed. Ms. Taylor was also detained after assaulting immigration officials at LAX. Before Mr. Orci’s recovery, Ms. Taylor would ply him with alcohol and beat him relentlessly. On separate occasions, she hit him with a baseball bat, shot him with a taser then sprayed him with Mace, threw him down a set of stairs, and punched him multiple times while he was driving. In 2022 and 2023, she transferred without her husband’s knowledge at least $1.2 million from their joint bank account to foreign banks. Now, she is fabricating salacious allegations in a desperate attempt to extract more money from him.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
