Chris D'Elia Sued for Allegedly Violating Child Pornography Laws

Joshua Espinoza
·3 min read

Image via Jason Merritt/Getty

Chris D’Elia is facing more accusations of sexual misconduct.

According to TMZ, the 40-year-old comedian is being sued for allegedly violating federal child sexual exploitation and child pornography laws. The plaintiff, identified as “Jane Doe,” claims she began communicating with D’Elia back in 2014, when she was a 17-year-old high school student. D’Elia allegedly demanded the then-teenager’s nudes shortly after they began talking and, according to the Los Angeles Times reports, solicited over 100 sexually explicit photos and videos from the accuser.

Jane Doe claims D’Elia invited her back to his Connecticut hotel room about two months after their initial communication. Jane Doe says she accepted D’Elia’s invitation and ultimately had sex with him in a Connecticut hotel room prior to one of his shows. According to legal docs, the then-teen had informed the comedian of her age and said she was still in high school at the time. D’Elia allegedly responded to that information by calling it “hot.”

“When I was in my final year of high school and still a child, I was groomed by a celebrity twice my age,” Jane Doe said in a statement to the Times. “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.”

D’Elia is also accused of asking Jane Does to send videos of herself having sex with boys around her age. He also allegedly asked the woman to meet and have sex with his friends. The plaintiff says she was a virgin before she had met the comedian in his hotel room.

As pointed out by TMZ, Jane Doe isn’t suing for the sexual encounter, as the age of consent in Connecticut is 16. She’s suing to stop D’Elia from “possessing or taking any action regarding” the alleged nude photos of her. She is also seeking damages.

A spokesperson for the comedian addressed the lawsuit in a brief statement to TMZ: “Chris denies these allegations and will vigorously defend himself against them in court.”

In summer 2020, a number of women came forward to accuse D’Elia of sexual misconduct; these included his alleged sexual harassment of teenage girls online, as well as separate instances in which he allegedly exposed himself to women without their consent.

D’Elia was subsequently dropped by his talent agencies, was fired from Zack Snyder’s zombie flick Army of the Dead, and lost his Netflix prank show.

He addressed the scandal in a 10-minute YouTube video last month, admitting sex had “controlled my life.”

“First of all, I do know how it looks with all the stuff that’s been said, the emails that have been put out there, and what the media has been trying to say,” he said in the video. “And I know it looks bad. It doesn’t show the full scope of what happened. I stand by the fact that all my relationships have been consensual and legal. That’s just it. That’s the truth ...”

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