The man who played Marty McFly’s famously awkward father in Back to the Future is now at the center of a deeply disturbing real-life drama.
Actor Crispin Glover, 61, has been accused by an alleged former girlfriend of holding her “captive” as a “sex slave” under the guise of a job opportunity in Los Angeles, according to a bombshell civil complaint.
The lawsuit, filed by a woman identified as Jane Doe, alleges battery, unlawful eviction, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution, and violations of California’s Bane Act, a civil rights law designed to protect against coercion and threats.
Doe, described as a U.K.-based model, claims she first connected with Glover via social media in 2015, when she alleges he made “strange advances” and encouraged her to move to Los Angeles.
Despite the early messages, the two did not meet in person until 2023 in Dresden, Germany, where Doe claims Glover showed her “several items of Nazi memorabilia” from his personal collection.
Crispin Glover is being sued by an alleged ex-girlfriend. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
According to the complaint, the relationship escalated in 2024 when Glover allegedly offered to help her launch a career in entertainment, framing the arrangement as a professional opportunity to work as his assistant. But Doe claims the situation quickly devolved into something far more sinister.
Instead of legitimate work, she alleges she was subjected to a “disturbing series of incidents” in which Glover treated her as both “free labor” and a “sex slave,” while attempting to control multiple aspects of her life—including tracking her whereabouts and dictating her movements.
As his behavior became “increasingly bizarre and inappropriate,” Doe says she tried to distance herself.
The situation came to a head in March, when Doe told Glover she was going to a mosque. While she was out, she alleges he locked her out of the home—effectively evicting her without notice and “rendering her homeless.”
Crispin Glover filed a restraining order against alleged ex-girlfriend Jane Doe in March 2025. Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
When she later attempted to retrieve her belongings, Doe claims the encounter turned violent. According to the lawsuit, Glover allegedly grabbed her by the neck and placed her in a chokehold, leaving her with a “visible wound and scar.”
The incident at the actor’s Los Angeles home sparked dueling legal claims. Glover filed a police report and sought a restraining order, describing Doe as an “unlawful intruder.” His legal team has flatly denied her allegations, telling the Daily Beast in a statement that Glover was actually the “victim of an unprovoked felony assault” during the March incident. They further described the lawsuit as “baseless” and said Glover denies the claims “in the strongest possible terms,” citing LAPD documentation tied to Doe’s arrest.
Glover’s attorney says the actor plans to “vigorously defend himself and pursue all available relief” in the case, and remains “confident the judicial process will expose this lawsuit as a meritless fabrication.”
Doe, however, is pressing forward in civil court—and she’s asking for more than just her day in front of a jury.
In her complaint, she is seeking a jury trial to determine compensatory and punitive damages tied to the alleged abuse, as well as restitution for financial losses, legal costs, and attorneys’ fees. She is also requesting any additional relief the court deems appropriate in her case.
This wouldn’t be the first time the actor has found himself in a legal battle. Glover sued Universal Pictures in 1990 after they used a prosthetic-enhanced lookalike to replace the actor in Back to the Future Part II. Resulting in a $760,000 settlement for use of the actor’s likeness without his permission.
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