The Bachelorette Alum DeMario Jackson Sued for Sexual Assault

Bachelor Nation star DeMario Jackson, whose stint on Bachelor in Paradise was investigated for misconduct, is now being sued by two women for sexual assault. Get details on the lawsuit.

By Gabrielle Chung Sep 21, 2022 11:51 PMTags
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Content warning: This story discusses sexual assault and rape.

Bachelor Nation star DeMario Jackson has been accused of sexually assaulting two women in a new lawsuit.

According to court documents filed on Sept. 20 and obtained by E! News, the 35-year-old is being sued by two people, identified only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, who allege they were raped by Jackson in separate incidents after going on dates with him. Both women say in the complaint that they "suffered injury, damage, loss, and harm to her/their body and mind," as well as "personal invasion and humiliation."

Last year, prosecutors reviewed the accusations but declined to prosecute Jackson due to "insufficiency of the evidence," according to a letter of declination from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

In a statement to E! News, Jackson's attorney, Walter Mosely, called the allegations "completely unfounded," adding, in part, "In the days to come, we will release the evidence we shared with the police at the time of the alleged incidents. Unfortunately, DeMario and I will have to take up this fight again to clear his name. Like before, we will have same name-clearing result."

Per the new lawsuit, Doe 1 first met Jackson through a dating app and went on several dates with him before he allegedly crashed her night out with friends on Feb. 16, 2018. At the time, Jackson "appeared intoxicated" and "began making a scene" in front Doe 1's friends, according to the complaint.

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"Sensing that the situation would escalate, Jane Doe 1 decided to diffuse the problem by separating the Defendant from the Public and her friends," the suit reads. "She brought the Defendant to her home to 'sleep it off.'"

Though Doe 1 told Jackson "that there would be no sexual activity between them" when they initially arrived at her apartment, she said the reality star "flung his body on top of her" when she began falling asleep in bed. In the complaint, Doe 1 alleges Jackson raped her after she told him to stop and attempted to push him away multiple times. 

Doe 1 says she demanded Jackson leave her home following the alleged assault. The next day, she and a friend went to the UCLA Rape Trauma Center, where she was examined as part of a rape kit procedure, according to the complaint.

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"Due to the sexual assault Plaintiff Jane Doe 1 has trouble feeling safe, suffers from constant anxiety, and experiences problems sleeping," the complaint reads. "The sexual assault herein has been by far the most traumatic experience in her life."

In the lawsuit, Doe 2 also alleges she was raped after rebuffing Jackson's advances. She said in the court documents that she was on a date at Jackson's home on July 7, 2020, when he led her to his bedroom and began taking off her clothes.

When Doe 2 told him she didn't want to take things further because she was on her period, Jackson became "incessant about wanting to have sex," according to the complaint. Doe 2 said in the lawsuit that she ultimately "gave in to the pressure," but when she asked Jackson to stop, he allegedly "held her down" and raped her.

Per the complaint, Doe 2 also went to a rape trauma center for testing following the alleged assault. She says she has since been in therapy and "remains traumatized."

The women are seeking damages as they "continue to be prevented from performing daily activities and obtaining the full enjoyment of life; will sustain loss of earnings and earning capacity, and have incurred and will continue to incur expenses of medical and psychological treatment, therapy and counseling," according to the lawsuit.

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Their attorney Keith M. Davidson tells E! News in a statement, "These women who have come forward with their horror stories of how they were brutally sexually assaulted by Mr. Jackson are the latest brave victims to share their stories of how a powerful male used his celebrity status to manipulate, intimidate and silence them. They, like so many other victims in the #metoo reckoning, will be silent no more. Justice must be served."

Jackson first rose to fame in 2017 when he vied for Rachel Lindsay's affections on the 13th season of The Bachelorette. He went on to appear on Bachelor in Paradise, during which he sparked an internal investigation into the show over conduct between himself and Corinne Olympios. Warner Bros. ultimately cleared the show and its producers, saying footage from set "did not support any charge of misconduct by a cast member."

After the investigation, Jackson told E! News that the entire ordeal had been "the hardest 11 days of my entire life."

"I was very upset, but my dad kept me calm," he said. "At the end of the day, men lie, women lie. But the tape evidence... you can't front on tape."

For free, confidential help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit rainn.org.