A police report of the domestic abuse arrest of Seagen CEO Clay Siegall, Ph.D., describes a drunken night involving him, his wife and another couple and includes sexual escapades and alleged violence that led Siegall to be taken to jail in Snohomish County, Washington.
The incident, which happened in the early hours of April 23, prompted separate 911 calls from Siegall’s wife of nearly three years as well as from the other couple. According to a written statement by one of the witnesses, Siegall entered a room where his wife and the other couple were in bed together.
Siegall, 61, is alleged to have pushed his 46-year-old wife, Nellie, to the floor and dragged her causing bruises and abrasions. He was charged with fourth degree misdemeanor assault and spent 33 hours in jail. Siegall denies the allegations.
The incident took place in the Siegall’s French chateau-style estate overlooking the Puget Sound. Siegall purchased the 11,600-square-foot gated home on 10 acres for $8 million in 2016.
Earlier this week, Seagen announced that Siegall had taken a leave of absence from the company he co-founded 25 years ago. Seagen said that it had launched an investigation and hired an outside law firm to help run it.
Seagen has named its chief medical officer, Roger Dansey, M.D., to take over as interim CEO.
“We have high standards for employee conduct, we condemn domestic violence in all its forms, and we are treating these allegations with the utmost seriousness,” Nancy Simonian, M.D., chair of Seagen’s nominating and corporate governance committee, said in a statement two days ago. “At this time, the facts are still uncertain, and our decisions will be guided by the outcome of our investigation.”
Seagen, one of the world’s top biotechs, reported revenue of $1.6 billion last year. And Siegall is one of the industry’s highest-paid executives, hauling in $18.9 million last year.
Clay Siegall filed for a divorce on April 28. A May 2 protective order—which prevents him from approaching his wife—details a history of alleged abuse throughout their eight-year relationship.
“He treated me like a beautiful slave—arm candy that looked nice on his arm when we went out and that cooked, cleaned and took care of him and his family when we were home,” Nellie Siegall said in the report. “I lived day to day walking on eggshells.”
The couple separated early last year but later reconciled.
According one of the witnesses in the police report, the night of April 23 began with the Siegalls joined by three other couples at Charcoal, a nearby restaurant. After dinner they all went to the Siegalls’ house for more drinks.
After two of the couples departed, according to one of the witnesses, the two women removed their clothes and had sex with each other as the two men watched. From there, accounts of the rest of the evening are varied.
When police arrived at the home sometime near 4 a.m., Nellie Siegall was at the front door naked and intoxicated, according to the report, with abrasions on her forehead and knees. Clay Siegall was described as “intoxicated” and “assaultive” as he denied the abuse.
If the allegations are confirmed, Siegall will join a list of well-known biopharma figures who have fallen from grace lately because of inappropriate personal behavior. Former Operation Warp Speed director and GlaxoSmithKline executive Moncef Slaoui left public sight following revelations of sexual harassment during his time at the British pharma.
Prominent biotech entrepreneur and Massachusetts Institute of Technology biology professor David Sabatini, M.D. Ph.D., was recently ousted amid sexual harassment allegations.