Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Horatio Sanz is being sued by a woman who claims he started grooming her for sex at 15, then sexually assaulted her when she was 17, TMZ reported.
The media outlet said a Pennsylvania woman identified as Jane Doe in her lawsuit met the Rosie O’Donnell-impersonating comic when she started running an “SNL” fan page around 2000. In 2002, according to the suit, Sanz allegedly groped the girl’s breasts and her butt, as well as digitally penetrated her without consent at an ‘SNL’ party. That allegedly happened in front of several NBC employees.
The alleged victim argues the network should have been aware of her situation with one of its stars. Jane Doe also said she’d been fed booze at a couple of “SNL” events.
Sanz’s lawyer calls the accusations “categorically false,” “meritless” and “ludicrous” and claimed to TMZ that Jane Doe asked for $7.5 million in exchange for her silence.
In her court filing, the alleged victim claims Sanz began grooming her and being flirtatious right away. The sexual assault, according to the suit, left her feeling depressed and ashamed, which led to drug use and eventually, hospitalization.
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In 2019, Jane Doe said she encountered Sanz at a comedy event in New York City, where he admitted to masturbating during their online conversations when she was underage. Text messages were allegedly sent in which he expressed regret over his past transgressions and claims he’s since changed.
Sanz, now 52, joined “SNL” in 1998, becoming the show’s first Hispanic cast member. His impersonations included Rosie O’Donnell.
He told Jimmy Fallon in 2009 that he’d lost nearly 100 pounds and quit drinking alcohol.