Ryan Seacrest accuser wanted $15 mn for her silence

A woman who accused popular TV host Ryan Seacrest of sexually inappropriate behaviour when she worked as his stylist a decade ago reportedly demanded a $15 million payoff for remaining silent.

According to sources, the woman's lawyer had a meeting with Seacrest's attorney (with Seacrest on the phone) in which the accuser's lawyer read aloud a press release that he said he would send to the media unless Seacrest met her financial demands, reports tmz.com.

Though the lawyer for the woman, who is accusing Seacrest of "demeaning and sexually aggressive" behaviour, has denied making a $15 million demand, tmz.com claims the woman's legal team demanded the money.

According to the site, she also said that if Seacrest didn't pay up, they would publicise details of the allegation.

While the statute of limitations would have prevented the woman from making a civil or criminal case as the events took place a decade ago, "the only leverage in getting money would be making the allegations public and embarrassing him", the source said.

--IANS

sas/nv/mr