When it comes to tricky conflicts about shattered professional relationshps, by which I mean alleged sexual intimidation and subsequent financial claims, counter-claims and regrettable consequences, the general understanding in the case of non-minors is that when an offended party opts for anonymity, journalists respect that.

This non-disclosing protocol has prevailed since yesterday’s accusation about alleged sexual assault and harassment on the part of director-writer Paul Schrader, and more particularly about Schrader reneging on a privately negotiated shakedown payment to “Jane Doe”, his accuser.

But what’s the protocol (and I think this is a fair question) when the identity of Schrader’s accuser is fairly obvious to anyone searching around?

Especially given the fact that “Jane Doe” has been (a) anything but shy about her social media profile, (b) has been described in news reports as “a 26 year-old personal assistant to Schrader between ’21 and September ’24”, (c) has been photographed numerous times with Schrader, particularly at the 2022 Venice Film Festival and during last May’s Cannes Film Festival, and has even been identified in photo captions, and (d) has reportedly “posted on social media about how much she loved her job and referred to Schrader as an extraordinary mentor and ‘my man'”?

The AP has reported Jane Doe’s account that Schrader “trapped her in his hotel room, grabbed her arms and kissed her against her will last year while they were promoting his latest film, Oh, Canada, at the Cannes Film Festival in France.” Which, if true, was ridiculous.

Consensual sexual activity with a younger woman is one thing when you’re 60something, but no half-sane male in his mid to late 70s would even flirt with initiating some kind of touchy, vaguely intimate thing with a pretty 26 year-old Zoomer. Schrader is a consecrated Movie God, but appearance-wise “Jane Doe” is way out of his league, and if her allegations are even half-true it was flat-out crazy of him to even hope that anything might happen.

Once you’ve become a mid-to-late 70something you’re more or less finished…it’s over. Okay, unless you’re Richard Gere (75) or Michael Douglas (80), but I’m not so sure about even those guys.