Paula Abdul filed a lawsuit against American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance executive producer Nigel Lythgoe last Friday (December 29). The suit alleged he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. Days later, Lythgoe publicly denied the claims.
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According to Music News, Lythgoe said he was “shocked and saddened” by the suit’s allegations. He went on to say that he would “fight this appalling smear” with everything he has.
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“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement,” he said in a public statement. “For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear—and entirely platonic—friends and colleagues. Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear, not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and everything I stand for,” he added.
Paula Abdul Files Suit Against Nigel Lythgoe
Abdul filed the suit in a Los Angeles court under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act. The Act opened a one-year period that allowed victims to file sexual abuse lawsuits. The pop star filed just days before the December 31 deadline.
The suit claims that Lythgoe first assaulted Abdul during an early season of American Idol. He allegedly attacked her in a hotel elevator, groped her, and stuck his tongue in her mouth. When the doors opened, she was able to escape to her hotel room.
The suit further alleges that Lythgoe attacked Abdul again during a season of So You Think You Can Dance. Lythgoe allegedly invited Abdul to dinner at his home. Once there, the suit claims that he sexually assaulted her in his living room.
Abdul’s suit also alleges that she witnessed Lythgoe inappropriately touch her assistant without consent.
The suit names Lythgoe, 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedi North America, American Idol Productions, and Dance Nation Productions as defendants. Abdul claims that the production companies did nothing to discipline Lythgoe despite his alleged reputation for inappropriate conduct. Instead, the suit claims, they protected him.
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