A lawsuit was filed against the comedian on behalf of a Jane Doe on Tuesday.
Comedian Chris D'Elia has been accused of sexually exploiting a minor and soliciting child pornography. A lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Jane Doe on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. D'Elia has denied the allegations.
In the lawsuit, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Doe claims that in 2014, a then 34-year-old D'Elia sexually abused her while she was 17 years old, and "demanded Ms. Doe provide him sexually explicit images of herself over the internet, directed her what specific sexual poses and acts she should perform for him, and psychologically punished her when she refused."
Doe, now 24, says the alleged events began in September 2014 when she was still in high school. According to the lawsuit, D'Elia met Doe after she direct messaged him on social media. D'Elia's messages "became sexual very quickly," the lawsuit alleges.
The comedian allegedly continually asked Doe to send him nude pictures of herself, and she says she eventually sent him five to 10 photos before they met in person. Doe claims she was then invited to D'Elia's show in Mashantucket, Connecticut, in 2014. During that alleged encounter, D'Elia "instructed Ms. Doe to get on the floor, take off his shoes and pants, and give him oral sex" and "approximately 10 minutes after she arrived at his hotel room, Defendant D’Elia had sex with Ms. Doe," the lawsuit claims.
Doe informed D'Elia that she was 17 years old and in high school, per the lawsuit, which also claims they had another sexual encounter after the show. The age of consent in Connecticut is 16.
After their meeting, Doe claims D'Elia requested more explicit images and she says she sent him "more than 100 sexually explicit photos and videos" over six or seven months, with half of them sent while Doe was a minor. After 2015, Doe allegedly ceased most contact. She claims she blocked him on Snapchat in 2017.
Doe is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and an injunction that would bar him from possessing or taking any action with the photos of her. In a statement to THR on Tuesday, D'Elia's attorney said, "Chris denies these allegations and will vigorously defend against them in court."
Multiple women made allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming against D'Elia in June. He denied the allegations, and in a YouTube video posted on Friday, D'Elia claimed that all his relationships "have been consensual and legal."
"I know it looks bad," he said, explaining how he further wanted to set the record straight at the time of the allegations, but was taking time to be with his family.
"What I have come to understand is this was always about sex to me... Sex, it controlled my life," D'Elia stated. "It was the focus. It was my focus all the time. And I had a problem, and I do have a problem...I need to do work on that."
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