Call this one “The Case of the Spilled T.”
A group of drag queens, including Pearl (real name Matthew James Lent), Shea Coulee (Jaren Merrell), The Vixen (Anthony Taylor), and Kim Chi (Sang-Young Shin) have fallen into a $5 million defamation lawsuit. All of the aforementioned queens have appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Three other defendants join the Drag Race alums: YouTube drag queen Jakeyoncé (Jacob Sandt), Shea Coulee’s boyfriend Dan Polyak, and drag performer Bible Girl (Zachary Gottlieb). The suit, filed in a Chicago court, alleges that the defendants made false claims about the plaintiff, a management company called Neverland Events and Artist Management, a company that specializes in repping LGBTQ entertainers, and which is queer-owned. The group of queens claims they were never paid for their performance gigs with Neverland and took their anger to social media to vent. For example, Shea Coulee alleges that Neverland owes them $12,000 in unpaid fees.
Related: ‘Drag Race’ fan sued by show’s producers for $300k+
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That venting led to the lawsuit, and the Cook County Court has, according to reports, already received dozens of social media posts as evidence in the case. Jakeyoncé published a video about Neverland, which may have provided some heavy fuel for the suit. In it, Jakeyoncé rages over the unpaid bills, making off-hand statements like “you don’t even represent any queens anymore” and “you’re boasting all the girls that have left you.”
None of the queens involved have yet to make an official statement regarding the lawsuit, which remains ongoing.
Note: this article was updated to include they/them pronouns for Shea Coulee, who identifies as non-binary.
Cam
The queens have been saying for ages that certain companies don’t pay them. Sounds like the $5 million dollar number was designed to try to scare them. If this company isn’t paying this case needs to go into court.
ShiningSex
If the company owes them money then I don’t think the lawsuit will make it through court.
Brian
Clearly all of these queens wouldn’t be saying this if it weren’t true. One person might be believable as someone with an axe to grind, but seven?
The first thing that this company will have to do to prove slander is show proof of payment, which apparently doesn’t exist. Why on earth would they want this all documented in court, when they will most certainly be countersued? If the queens are forced to spend money on lawyers, of course they are going to go for the money they are owed, plus damages. What a weird tactic.
imadiscodiva
Respectfully, I think you have it twisted. If Neverland couldn’t prove they are not in the wrong, they would be complete idiots to file a lawsuit! Clearly they can show evidence to support they have lived up to their contractual obligations. Seems to me, the Queens are ALL talk! If they had a case, they would have gone through appropriate legal channels and not You Tube!
Brian
Lawyers are expensive. The time and money it would take to sue for the relatively low amounts that they’re owed wouldn’t likely be worth it.
And like I said, this many people wouldn’t be saying the same thing if there wasn’t truth to it. Maybe it was contracts, maybe it was verbal agreements, but they were clearly screwed somehow.
sfmike64
imadiscodiva has apparently never heard of intimidation through lawsuit. That’s clearly what’s going on here.
Why on earth would drag queens be complaining about not being paid if it wasn’t true? And they all tell basically the same story. This isn’t new, lots of entertainers have difficulty getting paid, but social media lets your problems being paid get publicized.
Brian
There is a long, long history of promoters screwing over artists. Aretha Franklin was famously insistent on being paid, in cash, before she performed. That wasn’t her being a diva, that was her making sure nobody screwed her over.
imadiscodiva
Sfmike64…please do not insult my intelligence. It appears you have rushed to judgment without having ANY of the facts. All you do have is false accusations. You should know that just because 12 people aligned their stories, does not make any of them valid OR true! Have you considered that these “artists” might not have liked the terms of their. contracts, and perhaps they decided to team up to do enough collateral damage to Neverland to be released from them? This is not an intimidation tactic on behalf of Neverland. Actually, quite the opposite. They were left with no other choice but to defend themselves! Let’s remember who started this obscene attack! There is a proper way of handling business and this is certainly not it. Neverland is a team of professionals, and they carry themselves in that manner. Furthermore, they work hard and they bring a lot to the table. I think it’s totally fair to say these queens never would have seen such success without the time and energy Neverland invested in them. I encourage you to reserve your very early judgment until you have both sides. The truth will come out, and you will see how wrong you are. Often, entertainers get screwed by management, but this is not one of those scenarios.
TrottyThotty
I’ve worked with plenty of entertainers, they suck. lol Divas pull this crap all the time. I am very much looking forward to seeing the outcome of this. You said 12 people got together and “told basically the same story”? Haha 5 million over 12k? They better have a damn good story. Entertainment business is rough and cut throat, drag queens are no exception to the rules. I hope a juicy story comes from this.
Brian
I think you need to re-read the story.
viciouslies
“YouTube drag queen Jakeyoncé”
HAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa….
imadiscodiva
Brian…you are right. Lawyers are expensive. A good attorney would never take a frivolous lawsuit, or one they thought would be lost. As such, you might want to consider why Neverland would make the investment if they could not prove these accusations are not true. Have you thought about the damage these baseless claims has inflicted on Neverland Management AND Neverland Productions? This petty attack has done significant harm and ultimately amounts to bullying, something most queens have firsthand experience with. They are not playing fair and there is a price to pay, and it is none of your concern how big or small that is. It’s all relative. It wasn’t your business or integrity that was attacked. The courts will decide, and then you can weigh in on how much “truth” was involved in their stories. The integrity of the queens, or lack thereof, is going to come to light.
Brian
You are living in a dream world. Attorneys take frivolous lawsuits all the time. Stop speaking like you have definitive facts, you are just speculating like the rest of us are.
iauajo
imadiscodiva, You must be on Neverland’s payroll .
Bjarne Henriksen
Clickbait AGAIN!!!!
RuPaul’s Drag Race has NOTHING to do with this drama!
sonic_source
If this company truly ripped these people off, there is no case for slander. The truth may be damaging and/or embarrassing, but it isn’t slander.
imadiscodiva
Iauajo…I am absolutely not on Neverland’s payroll. I am simply armed with the knowledge that the Neverland team is fair and ethical, which is why they are not slinging BS all over the internet! Furthermore, the attorney representing Neverland is NO JOKE, and would not bother with this if it was not a real case!