3rd sex abuse lawsuit against Hollywood exec dropped

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A former child actor and model who accused four former Hollywood executives of sexually abusing him as a child has now dropped a third lawsuit.

Attorneys for Michael Egan filed papers in a federal court in Hawaii Saturday dismissing the case against theater producer Gary Goddard. Egan's lawyers did not explain why they dropped the lawsuit. The matter was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Egan can refile the lawsuit if he chooses.

Egan also voluntarily withdrew two similar suits against Garth Ancier and TV executive David Neuman, the former president of Disney TV and former chief programming officer at CNN.

Ancier, a high-ranking executive at the NBC, Fox and WB networks, is now suing Egan and Egan's attorney for malicious prosecution.

"This is nothing more than an attempt to silence victims. I will not be bullied and I will continue to fight for victims of sexual abuse even when it happens in Hollywood," Egan's attorney, Jeff Herman, said in response to Ancier's lawsuit. "It is easy to understand why victims are afraid to come forward against Hollywood power brokers without someone to protect them."

Egan sued Ancier, "X-Men" director Bryan Singer, Neuman and Goddard just days before a law that extended the statute of limitations on sex-abuse lawsuits in Hawaii expired. Egan claimed he was sexually molested by the executives on a trip to Hawaii in 1999 when he was 17 years old.

Ancier and Singer have denied being in Hawaii at the time Egan says he was abused. Singer has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit against him.

A hearing is set in the Singer case for Aug. 4.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.