A new lawsuit has been filed against RuPaul's Drag Race star Shangela, legally known as Chantaize Darius Jeremy Pierce, alleging sexual assault from an incident in 2017. The lawsuit was filed on February 24 in the New York County Supreme Court by Eric Poff, who works in adult entertainment under the name Dakota Payne.
According to court documents, Poff claims the assault occurred in Manhattan while filming Hurricane Bianca. The lawsuit states that after having drinks with Pierce, which Poff believes were drugged, he became semi-conscious and later found himself in a hotel room being sexually assaulted by an unknown man while Pierce watched. The documents allege Pierce then also assaulted Poff without consent.
The plaintiff is seeking both punitive and compensatory damages for pain and suffering, along with coverage of legal fees through a jury trial. Poff's legal team states their client came forward after learning about previous allegations against Pierce in recent news coverage.
This lawsuit follows less than a year after a previous case against Pierce was dismissed. That case involved allegations from a former Drag Race production assistant. Additionally, a Rolling Stone investigation published in March 2024 reported claims from five individuals who alleged Pierce either sexually assaulted them or attempted sexual contact while they were unable to consent between 2012 and 2018.
Pierce has previously denied all accusations. In a May 2023 statement to PEOPLE magazine, he called the allegations "totally untrue" and said they "perpetuate damaging stereotypes." Pierce's attorney, Andrew Brettler, has not yet commented on this latest lawsuit.
The current case has been filed under The Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, with the plaintiff's legal team arguing the alleged assault was partially motivated by gender.