Horatio Sanz: Saturday Night Live star accused of grooming and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl

Comedian’s lawyer has described the claims as ‘ludicrous’ and ‘categorically false’

Horatio Sanz, pictured, was a regular fixture on ‘SNL’ between 1998 and 2006 (Getty Images for Disney)

Former Saturday Night Live star Horatio Sanz has been accused of grooming and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl.

The allegations, dating back to 2002, are contained in a lawsuit against Sanz, according to documents seen by TMZ.

Sanz is a comedian best known for his eight-year stint as an actor on SNL, which lasted from 1998 to 2006.

As reported by Vulture, the lawsuit was filed by a woman identified only as Jane Doe, on 12 August. NBCUniversal and SNL Studios are also named as defendants.

It is claimed in the filing that Doe first came into contact with Sanz at the age of 15, when she ran an SNL fan website. It is then alleged that Sanz supplied her with alcohol at an afterparty for the show, before groping and digitally penetrating her.

Sanz’s lawyer Andrew Brettler described the claims as “categorically false” and “ludicrous”.

“Before filing this lawsuit anonymously, she demanded $7.5m in exchange for her silence,” he claimed, in a statement to TMZ. “We, of course, refused and will vigorously contest these totally meritless claims.”

“However often she repeats her ludicrous allegations or tries to rope in other high-profile names to generate media attention, they will always be false.”

The Independent has contacted Sanz’s representatives and NBCUniversal for comment.

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.