Chantaize Darius Jeremy Pierce, widely recognized as Shangela from the reality television series RuPaul’s Drag Race, is facing another lawsuit concerning alleged sexual assault. As reported by PEOPLE, Eric Poff, who operates under the name Dakota Payne in the adult film sector, initiated legal action on Monday, February 24, in the Supreme Court of New York County. Poff accuses Pierce of misconduct, following similar allegations made against him in the previous year.

RuPaul's Drag Race star allegedly raped plaintiff when he was inebriated and couldn't consent

Poff asserts that he has finally mustered the courage to come forward following the notorious headlines surrounding Darius Jeremy ‘DJ’ Pierce last year. Similar to previous allegations, the plaintiff contends that the purported misconduct occurred in October 2017 while both individuals were engaged in the filming of Hurricane Bianca in Manhattan. The lawsuit indicates that during a visit to a bar, Poff and Pierce shared drinks, with the former reportedly consuming one or two beverages that are suspected to have been “spiked” with a substance.

The legal document states, “The plaintiff holds this belief based on the fact that he has no recollection of events from the moment he consumed the drink until he regained partial consciousness in a hotel room.”

New sexual assault allegations against Shangela quite similar to past claims

Eric Poff's assertions of lacking full control after potentially being drugged align with previous allegations against Drag star Shangela, who faced accusations of sexually assaulting several individuals who were reportedly too intoxicated to provide consent. These allegations date back to 2012 and extend over a six-year period.

Poff claims that he regained consciousness to find himself in a hotel room, "bent over a bed being anally penetrated without consent" by an unidentified man, while "Pierce was observing from the corner of the room." Following this incident, Pierce is also alleged to have "anally penetrated" the plaintiff without his consent. It is reported that the accused subsequently sent money to Eric.

The legal filing asserts, "Accordingly, Defendants violated [The Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law] by sexually assaulting Plaintiff, which constitutes a felony and is an act motivated, at least in part, by Plaintiff’s gender."

Dakota Payne seeking damages

The plaintiff is advocating for a jury trial and is seeking both punitive and compensatory damages. Additionally, he requests that Pierce cover his legal expenses and any other outstanding amounts owed to him, as well as any other legal and equitable relief that the Court may consider appropriate and just.

How DJ/Shangela responded to previous rape allegations

DJ has not yet addressed the recent filing, which follows closely on the heels of previous allegations made less than a year ago. His attorney has previously refuted all claims of sexual assault in correspondence with Rolling Stone, characterizing them as “false and unsupported by any evidence or reliable witness testimony.”

Additionally, former Drag Race production assistant Daniel McGarrigle had previously filed a lawsuit against Pierce, alleging rape and gender violence. Nonetheless, this case was dismissed “with prejudice.”

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