Former Disney child star Raquel Lee sues studio over alleged abuse at 14, says adults on set failed to keep her safe
Former Disney Channel star Raquel Lee sued the Walt Disney Company, alleging that a former crew member repeatedly s**ually assaulted her at age 14 during production of the 2001 film The Poof Point. Studio executives reportedly blamed her for the fallout instead of investigating what happened.
The complaint, obtained by THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, accused Disney of negligence for failing to protect Lee from an unnamed “middle-aged, male employee” who allegedly groomed her, isolated her from her on-set guardian and assaulted her repeatedly.
What the lawsuit alleges
Lee’s complaint stated that the former employee first assaulted her multiple times inside his hotel room while the cast and crew were staying in Salt Lake City during filming, then assaulted her again on a flight home to Los Angeles.
The filing accused the worker of routinely whispering s**ually explicit remarks into her ear, commenting on her body and using hugs to get physically close to her, conduct the suit said unfolded “in plain view of the cast and crew.”
Some of the remarks were allegedly audible to sound technicians monitoring the actors’ microphones, yet the complaint stated that no one at Disney intervened.
Executives accused of blaming her instead of investigating
Rather than looking into her allegations, the lawsuit claimed that Disney executives responded to Lee’s changed behavior by branding her “out of control” and blaming her for problems on the production.
The complaint further alleged that executives accused the then 14 year old of engaging in s**ual activity with a crew member and, in one particularly stark claim, told her she needed “Jesus” and had “a demon inside her.”
Lee said her professional performance declined in the aftermath and Disney later canceled her role in another planned project, according to the filing.
A legal window built for decades-old claims
Lee’s case was able to move forward because of California Assembly Bill 2777, known as the S**ual Abuse Cover-Up Accountability Act, which took effect on January 1, 2023.
The law amended Civil Code Section 340.16 and opened a temporary window allowing survivors to sue institutions over past s**ual abuse even after the standard statute of limitations had expired.
That provision is what allowed allegations dating back nearly a quarter century to reach a courtroom now.
California regulations also set specific safeguards for minors working in entertainment. Under Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, productions employing performers under 16 must have a state certified studio teacher present to oversee a child’s health, safety and morals and a parent or guardian must remain within sight or sound of the minor at all times.
Lee’s complaint argued that Disney failed to enforce those protections.
Lee’s legal team and their statement
Lee is represented by attorneys Doug Wigdor and Jane Kim.
Wigdor has built a reputation handling high profile s**ual misconduct cases, including representing Cassie Ventura in her lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, Nafissatou Diallo in her allegations against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and multiple women who accused Harvey Weinstein of misconduct.
In a joint statement, Wigdor and Kim said, “Over the last decade, countless child actors have come forward to bravely share their experiences of abuse by adults in entertainment. This conduct is inexcusable and those involved, directly or indirectly, must be held accountable.”
They added that it was not an isolated incident: “This is not the first time that Disney has enabled a s**ual predator to target and abuse vulnerable victims.”