Former "RuPaul's Drag Race" contestant Shangela is urging dismissal of a man's lawsuit accusing Shangela of rape in 2020 in Louisiana.
Shangela's attorneys filed court papers on Tuesday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William F. Fahey citing multiple defenses, including that the claims are barred by the statute of limitations. They also maintain the plaintiff was not subjected to any harassing conduct that was "severe or pervasive as a matter of law" and that his claims are barred in whole or in part by the doctrine of "express consent, implied consent and/or ratification."
Listen and subscribe to The L.A. Local podcast: your TL;DR for what's happening in Southern California
Shangela's lawyers further maintain in their court papers that the suit should be "dismissed in its entirety" and that Shangela be awarded attorneys' fees.
In October, Fahey dismissed the plaintiff's gender violence and civil rights violations claims. The most recently amended complaint alleges sexual assault, false imprisonment, negligence, sexual harassment and failure to prevent sexual harassment.
The plaintiff also is suing Buckingham Television Inc., the show's production company. The firm's lawyers previously filed court papers seeking dismissal of the case, also citing the statute of limitations.
The plaintiff maintains he was working as a production assistant in February 2020 during filming of the first season of Shangela's HBO show "We're Here" when Shangela sexually assaulted him in a Monroe, Louisiana hotel room subsequent to an after-work party.
The plaintiff, 39, seeks unspecified damages from the 41-year-old Shangela, whose real name is Chantaize Darius Jeremy Pierce, and Buckingham Television.
"Fearful of losing his job, plaintiff did not immediately report the sexual assault to the authorities or to Buckingham TV," the lawsuit filed May 2 states. "Instead, he tried to maintain a cordial relationship with Pierce, without changing the way he interacted or communicated with him."
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok