Chris D'Elia accused of sexually exploiting and soliciting pornography from teen in lawsuit

Chris D'Elia has been accused of sexually exploiting and soliciting pornography from a 17-year-old in a new lawsuit.

According to the federal complaint, filed in California on Tuesday, D'Elia "solicited and received scores of sexually explicit photos and videos" from the plaintiff, referred to as "Jane Doe," when she was 17 and he was 34. The plaintiff is demanding a jury trial.

A lawyer for D'Elia said the comedian denies the allegations and looks forward to defending against them in court.

In a statement provided to USA TODAY by her attorney Chloe Neely, the plaintiff, now 24, said D'Elia groomed her when she was in her final year of high school and "still a child."

"Chris D’Elia abused his status and fame to lure me in, take advantage, and manipulate me when I was at a vulnerable age," she continued. "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."

According to the complaint, the plaintiff first contacted D'Elia by sending him a direct message on Instagram in 2014. To her surprise, D'Elia responded and asked her to come to one of his comedy shows, the suit says. Per the lawsuit, D'Elia began asking the plaintiff for sexually explicit photos, and the plaintiff sent the comedian approximately five to 10 sexually explicit photos and videos of herself before they met in person.

Before one of his shows at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, D'Elia invited the plaintiff to "hang out" in his hotel room, where they had sex, the suit says. During sex, the suit adds, D'Elia asked the plaintiff how old she was and if she was in high school, to which she replied she was 17 and "yes." According to the suit, D'Elia said that was "hot," and the two had sex again after his show that night.

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The suit says D'Elia continued to solicit explicit photos and videos from the plaintiff after their encounter and used manipulation and degradation to get her to comply. Over the course of six or seven months, the plaintiff sent D'Elia more than 100 sexually explicit photos and videos, the suit states, adding that their last correspondence was in 2019.

As a result of D'Elia, the plaintiff has suffered "significant emotional, physical, and psychological harm," the suit says.

The lawsuit comes months after the comedian faced a cascade of sexual misconduct allegations on social media, which he responded to in a 10-minute YouTube video in late February. In the video, D’Elia doubled down on his statement last year and said everything he’s done “has been legal and consensual."

"I know it looks bad and it doesn’t show the full scope of what happened. I stand by the fact that all my relationships have been consensual and legal and that’s just it. That’s the truth," the "You" actor said. The comedian added he has a problem when it comes to sex and said he's sought out therapy and professional medical help.

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In June 2020, accusations that D'Elia has engaged in inappropriate messaging with underage teenage girls flooded social media after Twitter user Simone Rossi accused him of "grooming" her when she was 16. Two women came forward in September 2020 to accuse D'Elia of sexual misconduct, alleging the comedian exposed himself to them without their consent. The podcast host issued a statement denying the allegations at the time.

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Contributing: Rasha Ali, Hannah Yasharoff