MythBusters ' Adam Savage Accused of Sexually Assaulting Sister as a Child in Lawsuit

Former MythBusters co-host Adam Savage's sister filed a lawsuit against him on Tuesday, alleging he sexually abused her numerous times when they were children.

In the complaint obtained by the New York Post, Miranda Pacchiana, 51, claims the abuse happened when she was between 7-10 years old and Savage was between 9-12 years old, when their family was living in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Savage, 52, denied the allegations in a statement to PEOPLE via his lawyer Andrew Brettler, saying, "While I hope that my sister gets the help she needs to find peace, this needs to end. For many years, she has relentlessly and falsely attacked me and other members of my family to anyone who will listen."

"By spreading numerous untrue stories about us in pursuit of a financial bonanza, she has tortured our entire family and estranged herself from all of us," he continued. "I will fight this groundless and offensive lawsuit and work to put this to rest once and for all."

His mother Karen Savage also issued a statement via Brettler, saying, "It makes me very sad to say this, but my daughter suffers from severe mental health challenges, and it's devastating that she's putting Adam and our entire family through this. Adam is a good man, and I support him completely."

According to the New York Post, Pacchiana alleges in the complaint that Savage nicknamed himself the "raping blob" while masking the abuse as a game.

"Beginning in or about 1976 and continuing until approximately 1979, Adam Savage would repeatedly rape Miranda Pacchiana and force oral sex upon her, and forced Miranda to perform oral sex on him, along with other forms of sexual abuse," states the reported complaint, filed in Westchester Supreme Court.

The complaint also reportedly alleges that Savage would prevent Pacchiana from leaving the bed and anally rape her.

Pacchiana filed her lawsuit under the New York Child Victims Act, which extends the statute of limitations for a survivor of child sexual abuse in criminal and civil cases. The original deadline, which was set in August, was extended last month until Jan. 14, 2021, due to the coronavirus.

"The prolific abuse by Mr. Savage as alleged in the Complaint has caused irreparable damage to my client that she will live with for the rest of her life," Pacchiana's lawyer Jordan Merson said in a statement to the New York Post. "Today is the first step in the direction of healing and justice." PEOPLE is also out to Merson for comment.

Pacchiana, a social worker based in Newtown, Connecticut, runs a website called The Second Wound, which aims to support survivors of sexual abuse or assault.

In a blog post published Tuesday on the site, Pacchiana reiterated the allegations outlined in the lawsuit and said the alleged abuse led to "periods of depression and near-constant anxiety."

She said she last made contact with Savage "over two decades ago" to address his "callous attitude about the abuse and his apparent disregard for the damage he had caused," but claimed Savage "chose not to acknowledge or show any compassion for my pain."

"While nothing can give back what Adam Savage took from me, I hope this lawsuit will also demonstrate to my fellow survivors that we do not deserve to carry the shame of sexual abuse and assault," she wrote.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to online.rainn.org.