Former Disney child actress Raquel Lee is now leveling accusations at her former employer of ignoring sexual abuse that she suffered through years ago on-set during the early years of her acting career. Lee, who also starred as a cast member for the Nickelodeon hit, The Amanda Show for a run of 14 episodes in 1999 and 2000, has filed a lawsuit claiming that she was raped and abused on numerous occasions by a Disney worker during the production of a Disney Channel film called, The Proof Point.
Lee, who was 14 at the time the movie was made in 2001, claims in the suit that a “middle-aged” man sexually abused her while the film was in production and that he “groomed” her before assaulting her. She then accuses Disney of negligence concerning the matter. The suit then alleges that the man sexually assaulted Lee in his hotel room located in Salt Lake City, where the movie was shot.
The actress then claims that the man abused her while on a flight to Los Angeles. Sickeningly, Lee shared that he “regularly whispered sexually explicit and harassing comments” into her ear while on set and often “used hugs to get close to her.” She then claims that a lot of the abuse that occurred was “in plain view of the cast and crew and could be heard by the sound technicians managing the cast’s microphones.”
According to a report from Breitbart News, she also said the employee would constantly make sexually explicit jokes around the underage talent that worked on the film. Lee also said that the folks at Disney neglected to take action to stop the abuse and harassment from happening. Even more disturbing, Lee says that Disney purposefully harmed her career in retaliation against her and accused her of being “out of control.”
The actress then explained that her role in a later production was cancelled and she had the acting role taken from her after she made a complaint about the abuse. “Over the last decade, countless child actors have come forward to bravely share their experiences of abuse by adults in entertainment,” Lee’s attorney Doug Wigdor stated about the incident.
“As former government prosecutors, our message to the entertainment industry is simple: This conduct is inexcusable, and those involved — directly or indirectly — must be held accountable,” he continued. Wigdor also served as Cassie Ventura’s attorney in the case against rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, along with representing several women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse.
The filing also pointed out that Disney has had a number of similar charges brought against it, adding that “This is not the first time that Disney has enabled a sexual predator to target and abuse vulnerable victims.” Lee first started acting in 1998 at 12-years-old. She has appeared in several well-known sitcoms, including The Hughleys and The Bernie Mac Show. Lee is also a voice actor who has lent her talents to series like The Proud Family.
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