Former Disney Channel Child Actor Raquel Lee Boileau Sues Disney Over Alleged On-Set Abuse
Raquel Lee Boileau, a former child actor on Disney Channel productions, filed a negligence lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company in Los Angeles Superior Court on August 21, alleging she was "repeatedly raped, sexually assaulted, sexually abused and sexually harassed" on the Utah set of the 2001 Disney Channel film The Poof Point. She was 14 years old at the time of the alleged abuse. The suit was first reported by Deadline on August 24.
The lawsuit identifies the alleged perpetrator only as "John Doe," described as an adult, middle-aged, male Disney employee involved in filming the movie. The complaint alleges that Disney knew about the abuse, facilitated and concealed it, and failed to investigate, supervise, monitor, or terminate the alleged perpetrator. Disney offered no comment when contacted by Deadline.
Boileau is represented by the New York-based firm Wigdor LLP. In June, attorneys Doug Wigdor and Jamie Kim approached Disney seeking an out-of-court settlement, but the parties could not reach an agreement. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified monetary judgment and a jury trial.
The Poof Point debuted on September 14, 2001, directed by Neal Israel and starring Mark Curry and Dawnn Lewis, with Raquel Lee and Tahj Mowry cast as their children. Boileau also provided voice work on the animated Disney series The Proud Family (Complex). She is also known as a participant in the documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which examined alleged misconduct behind the scenes of children's television.
This is not the first legal action connected to the alleged abuse. In 2015, Boileau — then credited as Raquel Lee — negotiated a confidential settlement for what the current lawsuit describes as "a small amount of money" with a male who worked on The Poof Point. She was represented at that time by attorney Gloria Allred. The male involved in the 2015 settlement was represented by Venable partner William Biggs II. The new lawsuit, filed over a decade later, takes aim directly at Disney itself rather than the individual.
The case arrives amid a broader public reckoning over the treatment of child performers in the entertainment industry, a subject Boileau herself addressed in Quiet on Set. That documentary, which focused on allegations of misconduct at Nickelodeon, brought renewed attention to the conditions young actors have faced on set.
The lawsuit is now in its earliest stages. No court dates have been announced, and Disney has not yet filed a formal response.
