A former production assistant has accused former RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela, aka Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce, of sexual assault during the filming of HBO’s We’re Here documentary series.

Daniel McGarrigle filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles, claiming that Pierce raped him following a wrap party for the show in 2020. He alleged that Pierce kept buying him drinks before asking him to come to his hotel to help pack for a flight. When he felt ill, he says Pierce suggested he lay down in the hotel bed, but that he later awoke to poppers being poured on his face and Pierce attempting to assault him.

Though McGarrigle continued working for the production, he ultimately quit in 2021 and lodged a complaint against Pierce with the companies behind We’re Here around the same time, followed by a report with the police department in Ruston, Louisiana, where the assault allegedly took place, in November 2022.

Production company Buckingham Palace confirmed the former, acknowledging that they and HBO “take the safety and well-being of personnel on our shows very seriously” and launched an investigation, but that it “concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.”

Pierce also denied the accusation, telling PEOPLE, “I can’t begin to explain how hurt and disgusted I am by these totally untrue allegations. They are personally offensive and perpetuate damaging stereotypes that are harmful not only to me but also to my entire community.”

He referenced both the external investigation’s conclusion and “ignorance, bigotry, and prejudice” against the LGBTQ+ community before suggesting the lawsuit is “nothing but an attempt to shake down both me and a well-regarded television company.”

Per the lawsuit, McGarrigle is asking for unspecified damages due to allegedly suffering “economic and non-economic damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity and general damages, including, but not limited to, emotional distress and mental suffering.”