(CNN)”One Tree Hill” creator Mark Schwahn has been accused of sexual harassment by former cast and crew members of the series.
The accusations come more than five years after the show’s conclusion, amid a reckoning in Hollywood during which people from across the industry are speaking up about instances of alleged sexual assault or harassment.
The allegations against Schwahn were first alluded to by a former staff writer Audrey Wauchope on social media and later detailed in an open letter signed by 18 female former cast and crew members, including actresses Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, Danneel Harris, and Michaela McManus.
“To use terminology that has become familiar as the systemic reality of sexual harassment and assault has come more and more to light, Mark Schwahn’s behavior over the duration of the filming of ‘One Tree Hill’ was something of an ‘open secret,'” said the letter, provided to CNN by a representative for Bush.
“One Tree Hill” ran for nine seasons from 2003-12, first on The WB and then on The CW.
“Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally. More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress,” the statement continued. “Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to swiftly learn to fight back, sometimes physically, because it was made clear to…
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