Comedian Chris D’Elia is facing a new lawsuit that accuses him of violating federal child pornography and child sexual exploitation laws, including soliciting more than 100 sexually explicit photos and videos from a woman identified as “Jane Doe.”
Half of the photos and videos were allegedly taken when Doe was 17 years old, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in federal district court for the Central District of California and reviewed by The Times. Doe had reached out to D’Elia in September 2014 via Instagram, never expecting a reply. The comic was on his “Under No Influence” tour at the time. They later communicated via Snapchat, the suit alleges.
“When I was in my final year of high school and still a child, I was groomed by a celebrity twice my age,” Doe said in a statement released Tuesday by her attorneys, Monica Beck and Chloe Neely of the Fierberg National Law Group. “Chris D’Elia abused his status and fame to lure me in, take advantage, and manipulate me when I was at a vulnerable age. I want any other girls out there to know that they are not alone, and it is time to get justice for the mental and physical toll he has put us through.”
A spokesperson for D’Elia said Tuesday, “Chris denies these allegations and will vigorously defend against them in court.”
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