Former Disney Channel star Kyle Massey has been charged with one felony count of immoral communication with a minor, according to court records.
The charges were filed on June 14 in King County, Wash., and Massey was scheduled to appear at an arraignment hearing on Monday, according to the King County Superior Court Clerk’s Office. Massey failed to appear at the hearing. His next hearing will be on July 12.
“It is unfortunate that Kyle Massey had to learn through the media yesterday that the 2019 allegations have resurfaced in the State of Washington a year after their dismissal. Massey claims that the allegations then and now are extortive. The statements made to the police regarding the accuser’s own counsel’s advice seem peculiar, tearing away the veracity from the stale allegations. The accusers in no hidden agenda attempt to use the Washington courts as a platform for revenge after losing the civil matter,” Massey’s lawyer, Lee A. Hutton said in a statement.
“Indeed, California counsel withdrew from representation from the accuser leaving us to conclude that he was not willing to make misrepresentations to the court. The Washington matter is already showing problematic signs. Massey was never properly served or notified as represented to the court and the pleadings are procedurally and substantively deficient on its face. Massey intends to aggressively defend these accusations again and will seek civil damages from those that refuse to hear the facts. We plan to seek an early dismissal — finally putting these extortive attempts to rest.”
Massey, now 29, was previously sued in 2019 for allegedly sending explicit messages and photos to a 13-year-old girl. The civil suit claimed that the actor, who first met the girl when she was four years old, reconnected with her in 2018 after she expressed interest in entering the entertainment industry.
The suit, which asked for $1.5 million, said Massey sent the girl “numerous sexually explicit text messages, images, and videos” over Snapchat.
According to the charging documents filed by prosecutors, the victim’s mother told the King County Sheriff’s Office that her lawyers had initially advised her not to file criminal charges. She reported the incident to the sheriff’s department after the lawyers declined to pursue the case, saying that “Massey didn’t have enough money to make the case worth it.”
The charging documents go on to describe communications between the victim and Massey on Snapchat, including multiple images of his genitals. Investigators submitted a search warrant for data connected to the account and confirmed that the account belonged to Massey.
Massey is best known for starring on the Disney sitcoms “That’s So Raven” and spinoff “Cory in the House.” His other credits include the Disney Channel Original Movie “Life Is Ruff” and Season 11 of “Dancing With the Stars.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.