Ex-Disney star Kyle Massey, best known for his role as Cory Baxter in early 2000s shows That's So Raven and Cory in the House, been charged with one count of immoral communication with a minor, per court documents obtained by Variety.
The felony charge, filed in King County, Washington on June 14, stems from a 2019 lawsuit in which a 13-year-old girl alleged that Massey sent explicit text messages, images, and videos to her phone in 2018 and 2019. Massey was sued for $1.5 million for intentional infliction of emotional distress, harmful matter sent with intention of seducing a minor, attempting to commit a lewd act with a minor, and annoying or molesting a minor. After the lawsuit was filed, Massey released a statement through his attorney saying that he "categorically [denies] any alleged misconduct," and claimed he was being extorted.
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According to the lawsuit, the unnamed girl alleged that she first met Massey at Universal Studios when she was four years old, and he kept in touch with her and her family over the years because she was interested in a career in entertainment. The minor and her mother alleged that Massey “held himself out as a father figure” to the girl, and asked her to move from Seattle to Los Angeles to live with him and his girlfriend. Contact between Massey and the girl increased in November 2018, when she indicated she was interested in a role on a potential Cory in the House reboot. A month later, according to the suit, Massey allegedly added the minor on Snapchat, where he sent her “numerous sexually explicit text messages, images, and videos," with full knowledge that she was in the eighth grade.
On June 30, Massey's attorney, Lee A. Hutton, III, told TMZ that Massey "just became aware of his charges yesterday through the media, and he maintains that the allegations are motivated by revenge because the accuser didn't succeed in her 2019 civil suit."
People confirmed that the now-29-year-old actor notably failed to show up to his arraignment on June 28 in King County Criminal Court, but Hutton told TMZ that the actor "was not properly served or notified of his court hearing." However, he "intends to aggressively defend these accusations again and will seek civil damages from those that refuse to hear the facts."
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"We plan to seek an early dismissal finally putting this bad behavior to rest," Hutton added.
Massey isn't the only That's So Raven alum who has faced criminal charges. Orlando Brown, famous for his role as Eddie Thomas on the Disney show, has been charged with multiple felonies, including domestic battery, obstruction of justice, drug possession with intent to sell, possession of contraband in jail.
Refinery29 reached out to Massey for comment.