The last of us star Ashley Johnson has sued her ex-boyfriend Brian Foster over his alleged “creepy and depraved behavior towards women.”
In a complaint filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday and obtained by PEOPLE, Johnson, 40, and six other women — including her sister Haylie Langseth — accuse Foster of domestic violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual assault, assault and stalking.
“Women unfortunate enough to be in his path were subjected to a common thread of physical and sexual violence, as well as psychological and emotional abuse,” the complaint states. “Foster left a trail of victims whose lives he sought to control through various lies, threats, intimidation and manipulation.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, the woman’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, says, “The officer who reviewed the evidence was so concerned about Ashley Johnson’s safety that he went to a judge himself to obtain an emergency protective order against Brian W. Foster. Since then, six other women have come forward. This lawsuit was brought to remedy the abuse Foster inflicted on my seven clients and to prevent others from becoming victims of Foster’s pattern of mental, emotional and physical abuse.”
Foster declined to comment when contacted by PEOPLE. Foster’s attorney did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Ashley Johnson attends The Prime Experience: Saturday Morning Cartoons Ft. “The Boys Presents: Diabolical”, “Fairfax” & “The Legend of Vox Machina” May 7, 2022
Jon Kopaloff/Getty
Everything you need to know about ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2
In the submission, Growing pains alum claims she was left “scared, intimidated, off balance, confused, traumatized and under constant pressure for years” due to Foster’s “threats to extort Johnson by releasing personal information, as well as his consistent acts of physical intimidation including but not limited to punching glass, throwing objects and screaming obscenities in her face.”
The actress — who plays Anna Williams in the The last of us — claims the former host of the web series Conversations Machina threatened to extort her for $150,000 to prevent the publication of “private information”.
The documents also state that “Johnson has good reason to believe that Foster would follow through on his threats or harm her if she provoked him or did not submit to his will because after the breakup in March 2023, Foster began suspiciously carrying a large black duffel bag and an ammunition bag containing two airsoft guns modified to look like real guns and a garrotte which is a strangulation device.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(651x212:653x214)/ashley-johnson-the-last-of-us-d7641bee3e284765b5f9db17243e22f6.jpg)
Ashley Johnson on ‘The Last of Us’.
Liane Hentscher/HBO
The cast of ‘The Last Of Us’: Everything you need to know
According to the lawsuit, Johnson obtained an emergency protective order against Foster in May due to his alleged threats and behavior in the past.
The lawsuit claims Foster violated the terms of the Emergency Protective Order when he locked her out of her home and “commanded Johnson’s home security cameras and microphones to monitor her and monitor her comings and goings.”
In August, Foster denied the allegations in a filing in response to the emergency protective order.
“I do not own any firearms, nor do I have a firearms license, and all claims … that I carried a ‘box of ammo’ are false,” Foster wrote. “The petitioner knows that I planned to go on a two-week camping trip. I bought a Trail Box from Bespoke Post for that trip,” he stated, according to Los Angeles Times.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The lawsuit alleges that Foster “spewed lies” to other women who filed legal proceedings against him, including that “he and Johnson were in an ‘open relationship,’ in order to induce them to submit to his inappropriate sexual assaults.”
“Being the sociopath that he is, Foster often treated these women as sexual objects by groping them freely without consent, sometimes in open public settings,” the complaint states. he was met with a fury of obscenities, intimidation and threats.”
The complaint says the seven women decided to come forward because, “After years of enduring Foster’s abuse and being pushed toward an emotional breakdown as a result, plaintiffs have had enough.”
“They will not tolerate being abused by Foster nor will they be deterred by his constant and pervasive threats and behavior. “Plaintiffs are bringing this action to seek some measure of justice not only for themselves but for the many other women who were similarly abused by Foster,” the filing continued. “While prosecutors have remained private and avoided publicity, they are now pursuing this action as a cautionary tale.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or go to thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education