'Drag Race' alum Shangela accused of 2017 sexual assault in new lawsuit
Darius Jeremy 'DJ' Pierce, known by his drag persona Shangela, has been accused of sexually assaulting a crew member of a movie he was filming in 2017, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in a New York court.
The complaint naming Pierce is the latest accusation against the popular 'RuPaul's Drag Race' alum, who has denied other allegations of sexual assault, including one filed in 2023 that was settled last year.
The new suit claims Pierce, 43, and an unidentified John Doe broke New York City's Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, which gives survivors of alleged gender-motivated violence, including sexual abuse, nine years from the date of the incident to file civil claims.
Andrew Brettler, a lawyer for Pierce, did not respond to a request for comment. Pierce could not be reached for comment.
Plaintiff Eric Poff was an art assistant for the 2018 film 'Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate,' while it filmed in New York City in the fall of 2017. Pierce was among the actors in the movie, which starred fellow 'Drag Race' alum Bianca Del Rio.
During a night out, Poff, then 28, went to a Manhattan bar with Pierce and consumed one or two drinks, according to his complaint filed with New York County Supreme Court.
Poff alleges in his suit that his drink was ''spiked with a drug' because he had 'no memory of events between consuming the drink and becoming semi-conscious in a hotel room.'
Another man was in the hotel room, along with Poff and Pierce, according to the suit. While in the room, Poff 'started to fade into consciousness' and 'was bent over a bed being anally penetrated without consent by John Doe with Pierce watching from the corner of the room,' the complaint says. Pierce also anally penetrated Poff 'without his consent,' and then later sent Poff money via PayPal, according to the suit.
Poff was unavailable for a phone interview Monday, but he said in a statement to NBC News that he came forward because sexual assault remains a 'particularly taboo subject' in the LGBTQ community. He added that anti-sexual violence laws that allow people to pursue litigation against their accused years later are important, and New York's law gave him time to process what he says happened.
'I am coming forward because I have the ability and resources to do so, knowing many other victims cannot,' Poff said, adding, 'I will not be deterred by the Defendant's popularity or potential backlash.'
New York City's Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law typically gives alleged victims nine years to file a claim, but in December 2022, a temporary window was open permitting claims stemming from older allegations; that window is set to close at the end of this month. The decades-old law has been cited as the basis for recent complaints filed against other high-profile defendants, including music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs and luxury real estate brothers Oren and Tal Alexander.
Poff's lawyer, James Vagnini, said Pierce is seeking a jury trial and damages to be determined at that time.
Vagnini added that Poff's memories were 'foggy' since he was not fully conscious, but similar claims against Pierce that have become public in recent years compelled him to come forward.
Poff continues to work in the entertainment industry, Vagnini added, and said that speaking up against a major drag performer such as Pierce, who was on multiple seasons of 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' became the first drag artist on ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars' and has been in movies such as 2018's 'A Star Is Born,' was fraught with risk to his own career.
'We shouldn't let anyone off the hook because of who they are,' Vagnini said. 'There are people coming forward, and it shows that you can be raped no matter what your gender may be.'
In 2023, a former production assistant on the hit HBO show 'We're Here,' which features drag queens in real-life situations, filed a lawsuit accusing then-series star Pierce of raping him in a hotel room following an after-work party three years earlier.
Pierce said in a statement at the time that the allegations were 'entirely meritless,' and 'perpetuate damaging stereotypes that are harmful not only to me but also to my entire community.'
That suit, filed by Daniel McGarrigle, was dismissed last year after a settlement was reached, Rolling Stone and others reported. The terms were undisclosed, and Pierce at the time did not respond to requests for comment.
Last March, Rolling Stone interviewed and reported on multiple people accusing Pierce of either sexually assaulting them or attempting to have sex with them when they were too inebriated to consent.
In a response to Rolling Stone, Brettler, the lawyer for Pierce, called the allegations 'false and unsupported by any evidence or reliable witness testimony,' and said there were 'significant problems with purported accusers' accounts.' He added that Pierce also 'adamantly denies ever engaging in nonconsensual sex.'
Pierce, who has 1.4 million followers on Instagram, is set to appear in the forthcoming film 'Magic Hour,' directed and starring Katie Aselton, according to the movie's IMDB credits.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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