5 minSociety
Former Disney Channel star alleges she was sexually abused at 14 after being told to ‘bond’ with employee
Raquel Lee Bolleau, a former Disney Channel actress, has filed a lawsuit alleging she was sexually abused at age 14 during production of the 2001 film “The Poof Point,” claiming Disney personnel encouraged her to bond with the adult employee and failed to protect her.
Raquel Lee Bolleau, a former Disney Channel actress, has filed a lawsuit alleging she was sexually abused at age 14 by an adult male employee during production of the 2001 film “The Poof Point.” According to the complaint, Disney personnel directed her to spend time with the employee and “bond” with him, which she says led to repeated sexual assault.
The lawsuit, filed against The Walt Disney Company, claims the man supplied Bolleau with alcohol and sexually assaulted her multiple times during filming. Bolleau recalled the employee telling her, “You’re old enough. You can handle it,” after the alleged assault. She said she returned to set smelling of alcohol, vomiting, and visibly changed, but Disney personnel did not investigate how a 14-year-old obtained alcohol or seek medical care for her. Instead, an executive reportedly branded her “out of control,” said the movie had gone “haywire,” and told her representatives that Disney was “extremely upset.”
Bolleau also alleged that an on-set Disney executive producer repeatedly told her she “need[ed] Jesus” and told her mother, “your daughter has a demon inside her.” The complaint further claims Disney repeatedly separated Bolleau from her guardian despite California protections requiring a guardian of a performer under 16 to remain within “sight or sound” of the child. Her guardian could not watch her while filming or accompany her to wardrobe and makeup, and production personnel once told the guardian, “We do not even need you on set.”
According to the complaint, the alleged abuse continued after filming wrapped. Disney booked Bolleau in first class while seating her guardian in economy on the flight back to California. Bolleau alleged the employee told her to sit next to him and bring a blanket to cover them before sexually assaulting her during the flight, continuing until the row began to deboard at Los Angeles International Airport.
Bolleau claimed the employee also sexually harassed and touched her in front of others on set, giving her unsolicited hugs, rubbing his genitals against her, and whispering comments including “last night was so good” while cast members were still wearing microphones. She alleged sound technicians could hear many of the comments, but no one intervened or asked what the adult employee was saying to her.
“Instead of protecting and supporting its minor employee who was being repeatedly raped, sexually assaulted, sexually abused, and harassed, Disney covered up Mr. Doe’s abuse, and blamed Ms. Bolleau for the impact of Mr. Doe’s horrific misconduct,” Bolleau’s lawyers wrote in the complaint. “Disney’s egregious role in Mr. Doe’s abuse of Ms. Bolleau is part of a broader, institutional, and systemic pattern of institutional and individual failures at Disney that extends far beyond ‘The Poof Point.’”
Bolleau is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, along with attorneys’ fees, costs, and interest. Her lawyers, Doug Wigdor and Jane Kim, said in a statement: “Over the last decade, countless child actors have come forward to bravely share their experiences of abuse by adults in entertainment. 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.”
Bolleau began acting as a child, with an early television appearance on “Malcolm & Eddie” before getting her breakout opportunity on Nickelodeon’s “The Amanda Show,” where she appeared as a regular performer during the sketch comedy series’ first season alongside Amanda Bynes. She subsequently moved into Disney projects, playing Marie, the sister of Tahj Mowry’s Eddie, in “The Poof Point.” She went on to voice Nubia Gross, one of the intimidating Gross Sisters, on “The Proud Family” from 2001 to 2005. Bolleau claimed Disney threatened and did cancel her role in a production after the alleged sexual assault in 2001. Disney did not respond to a request for comment.
