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RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela took to social media on Tuesday to respond to a new sexual assault lawsuit filed earlier this week.

On Monday, Eric Poff, who performed under adult film pseudonym Dakota Payne, filed a civil lawsuit against the performer, whose real name is Darius Jeremy (“DJ”) Pierce, in New York’s Supreme Court. Poff accused Pierce of sexually assaulting him in October 2017 while filming the film Hurricane Bianca 2. Poff, a production assistant, claimed he went drinking with Pierce, who starred in the film, during a night out in New York.

Shangela is speaking out.

Chantaize Darius Jeremy Pierce, better known as Shangela, is facing new sexual assault allegations made by adult film actor Dakota Payne after a previous sexual assault lawsuit was dismissed, and the 43-year-old RuPaul’s Drag Race alum spoke out in a statement on social media on Tuesday (February 25).

“Hi y’all. I started off my week super grateful for life, texted with my mom, repacked my drag bag, and just been minding my own lil gay business. Then here comes some Bs,” she began in a note on Instagram.

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“Being falsely accused in the most heinous ways is very difficult to endure. I’m advised to stay silent, and I’m doing my best to continue on without engaging in a back and forth with dishonest people seeking money or a moment. ‘It’s not worth it,’ I tell myself.”

“Even...

RuPaul’s Drag RaceSeasons 2 and 3 star Darius Jeremy Pierce, also known as Shangela, is under fire for allegations of sexual assault. The news comes nearly one year after a previous lawsuit against Shangela, which involved similar accusations, was dismissed in court. The latest complaint was filed on February 24, 2025, by Eric Poff, an adult film star known by the stage name, Dakota Payne. In the lawsuit, Poff accused Pierce of pressuring him to drink excessively before allegedly assaulting him while he was incapacitated.

Update: Shangela has issued a statement.

Original Story: Chantaize Darius Jeremy Pierce, better known as Shangela, is facing sexual assault allegations after a previous sexual assault lawsuit was dismissed.

Court documents were filed Monday (February 24) in New York by adult film actor Dakota Payne, under his real name Eric Poff, alleging that the 43-year-old RuPaul’s Drag Race alum and another unnamed male participated in a sexual assault in 2017 in New York City, via EW.

The complaint asks for a jury trial and compensatory damages.

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In the legal docs, Dakota alleges that the assault happened while Shangela was on a break from filming Bianca Del Rio‘s Hurricane Bianca movie in October 2017 in New York City.

While at a Manhattan bar, Dakota alleges he consumed “one or two drinks,” but that “upon information and belief,” now believes he “had his drink ‘spiked’ with a drug while at the bar.

Less than a year after Rolling Stone’s investigation into former RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela uncovered sexual assault allegations from five accusers — along with a separate civil lawsuit settlement — the celebrity drag performer is facing their second sexual assault lawsuit.

Eric Poff, 35, who performed under adult film pseudonym Dakota Payne, filed a civil lawsuit against Darius Jeremy (“DJ”) Pierce, 44, in New York’s Supreme Court, according to documents obtained by Rolling Stone. Poff alleged Pierce sexually assaulted him while the two worked together on the revenge comedy film Hurricane...