(NBC News) — “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fan favorite Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce, who goes by the stage name Shangela, was accused of rape in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that while filming the first season of his hit HBO show “We’re Here” in 2020, Pierce raped one of the show’s former production assistants, Daniel McGarrigle. McGarrigle, 39, is seeking unspecified damages from Pierce, 42, and the show’s production company, Buckingham Television.
McGarrigle alleges the encounter occurred in a Monroe, Louisiana, hotel room following an after-work party in February 2020. The lawsuit states that Pierce purchased and handed McGarrigle five shots of alcohol and two mixed drinks at the party, and asked McGarrigle to come back to Pierce’s hotel to help him pack for an early flight the next day.
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