Thursday, January 7, 2021

Producer of RuPaul Events Sued By Fired Choreographer Is Admonished About SMS

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon

BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 6 – Chancelor Dayne Benson worked as a choreographer and then creative director for Brandon Voss' Voss Events, which produces events for, among others, RuPaul's DragCon and Werq the World Tour. 

 According to Benson, Voss called in an "N-lover" and made other racial slurs. Voss Events employee Jon Norris "would also routinely grope Mr. Benson," who sued.  

 On January 6, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Katherine Polk Failla held a proceeding. Inner City Press covered it.  

 The complaint says "Mr. Voss and Mr. Norris made it seem that their actions were permissible because many members of the cast are gay, and that gay men are entitled to take such liberties with each other."

  Discussion turned to whether to vacate default judgment (grants) and to an SMS text message Brandon Voss sent to Benson, stating: "Reading through that book of lies is embarrassing for you. Your lawyer has a duty to fact check things before filing a frivolous lawsuit which she didn't do. You were let go because you are an awful leader. Every dancer and artist on that tour demanded we get rid of you... All of them would be happy to tell anybody the problems you caused."

  Judge Failla said, This cannot happen again.

 The case proceeds. It is Benson v. Voss Events, Inc., 20-cv-6874 (Failla)

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