'The Last of Us' star Ashley Johnson and 6 other women sue streamer Brian Foster for abuse, calling his behavior 'chilling and 'depraved'

• "The Last of Us" star Ashley Johnson is suing her ex-boyfriend Brian Foster.
• Six other women joined Johnson, claiming Foster showed a pattern of "depraved behavior toward women."

Earlier this year, 'The Last of Us" and "Critical Role" star Ashley Johnson filed a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, Brian Foster.

Now, six other women have come forward with similar claims about Foster. The seven of them filed a civil suit against Foster in Los Angeles County on Tuesday.

The complaint says the 40-year-old "demonstrated a disturbing pattern" of "chilling and depraved behavior" toward women.

Johnson is currently a main cast member on the popular "Dungeons & Dragons" livestream series "Critical Role." Foster, meanwhile, hosted an affiliated spin-off talk show, "Talks Machina," for several years before leaving in 2021, Insider previously reported. The couple broke up in March 2023, according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs' attorneys claim Foster committed acts of domestic violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual battery, assault, stalking, gender violence, and civil rights violations, according to the complaint. Not every charge applies to every plaintiff.

"This lawsuit is filed to both remedy the abuse Foster has inflicted on my seven clients as well as to prevent others from being victimized by Foster's pattern of mental, emotional, and physical abuse," Bryan Freedman, one of the attorneys representing the seven women, wrote in a statement to Insider.

All seven plaintiffs live in California, and only one is listed as an anonymous Jane Doe. One of the plaintiffs is Johnson's sister, Haylie Langseth. The complaint says Foster made "unwanted sexual comments to and about Langseth even going so far as to grope her in front of her children and Johnson."

Foster could not be contacted for comment by Insider ahead of publication, and the complaint did not list an attorney for Foster. Insider contacted Marc Collins, an attorney who represented Foster after Johnson filed for a domestic violence restraining order earlier this year. Collins did not respond ahead of publication.

In her May restraining order request, Johnson said she had endured years of abuse during her relationship with Foster, requesting protection because she and her family were "fearful that he is close to the edge, has the ability to murder, and will cause harm," Insider previously reported.

After Johnson first filed for an emergency protective order against Foster in May, police searched an orange ammo box that Foster had been carrying. They found "two airsoft guns modified to appear as real guns" and a "strangulation device," according to the complaint.

Later that month, Johnson filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Foster. Foster filed his response with the court on August 28, stating he did not agree with the restraining order that Johnson requested, according to court documents obtained by Insider.

In particular, Foster disputed the concerns about the airsoft guns and the strangulation device known as a garrote.

"I do not own any firearms, or a gun license, and all of the allegations in the DV Petition that say I was carrying an 'ammo box' are untrue," Foster wrote in August.

"This 'garrote' is actually a pocket saw that came with the Trail Box in case I needed to get firewood for a campfire," Foster further stated.

Tuesday's complaint says that, following this chain of events, Johnson fears "Foster might have been planning to or will try to kill her."

In a statement on the lawsuit to ComicBook.com, "Critical Role" said it was aware of the civil complaint that was filed against Foster.

"While we can't get into the specifics of the lawsuit, we want to make it clear that we had no knowledge of any of his behavior," "Critical Role" said in its statement.

"It is heartbreaking to us that some of our colleagues went through this and we're committed to supporting them however we can," the statement continued. "We are working with our HR team and our staff directly to ensure our workplace and culture live up to all of our expectations."

This story was updated on October 4 to clarify that Foster is the only defendant in the case. It was updated again on October 5 to include a statement from Critical Role.