Former child star takes Disney to court over alleged on-set sexual assault

Former child actress Raquel Lee Bolleau has filed a lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by a former Disney employee while filming a Disney Channel movie in 2001. She was 14 years old at the time.

Bolleau filed the civil lawsuit in Los Angeles this past Friday. The complaint contains her allegation that the incidents occurred while the production was filming in Salt Lake City and continued during travel back to California.

Bolleau claims that Disney staff encouraged her to spend time with the employee and that she was often separated from her guardian during production, with inadequate supervision in place.

She further alleges that adults on set noticed significant changes in her behaviour and wellbeing during filming, but that no one intervened or properly investigated the situation at the time.

Instead, she claims Disney representatives blamed her for changes in her performance and ultimately canceled a future role she had been expecting.

Bolleau is seeking damages related to emotional distress and financial losses, along with additional legal costs. 

Her attorneys also released a statement insisting for accountability for abuse towards child actors in the entertainment industry.

Following the film in question, Bolleau went on to voice a recurring character in a Disney Channel animated series for several years, later reprising the role in a streaming revival of the show more recently.