Sexual harassment
US singer alleges multiple incidents of assault while the pair worked together on hit show So You Think You Can Dance
Sat Dec 30, 2023 21:43 GMT
American singer, dancer and talent show judge Paula Abdul is suing British television executive Nigel Lythgoe for alleged sexual assault, according to US media.
Abdul filed a lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles County, alleging multiple counts of assault while the couple worked together on the hit shows “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Lythgoe was an executive producer on the Fox singing talent show and a co-judge on the latter.
Neither Abdul nor Lythgoe have commented publicly on the case and did not respond to requests for comment from various media organizations.
In the lawsuit, Abdul alleges that the first attack occurred during “one of the first seasons” of American Idol in the early 2000s when she and her boss were traveling to regional auditions, entertainment news website TMZ reported.
Abdul claims Lythgoe attacked her in an elevator at her hotel, but she managed to escape when the doors opened. She says she immediately informed her representatives from her hotel room before deciding to keep quiet about the incident for fear she could be fired. According to the lawsuit, another assault incident reportedly occurred more than a decade later, during what Abdul thought was a professional meeting at Lythgoe's Los Angeles home, where he allegedly forced himself on her and told her they would make an “excellent power couple.” ” hand over.
Abdul reportedly then pushed him away and stated that she wasn't interested before he left.
Abdul allegedly claims she saw Lythgoe attack one of his assistants during the filming of “So You Think You Can Dance” in Las Vegas that same year.
The lawsuit also alleges that Lythgoe “taunted” Abdul by calling her and telling her that the couple should celebrate because “seven years have passed and the statute of limitations has expired.” [out]“.
Abdul is reportedly suing Lythgoe — and the shows' production companies, 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia North America, American Idol Productions and Dance Nation Productions — for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender-based violence and negligence.
Lythgoe was reportedly fired from American Idol in 2013 after serving as the show's producer for twelve years.
According to US media, the court filing states that Abdul remained silent for years because he was “afraid of speaking out against one of the most well-known producers of television competition shows, who could easily ruin her career,” and because he had professional contracts that “banned” her , “to disclose anything that could be considered confidential business information” or “derogatory.”
The lawsuit was reportedly filed under California's Sexual Abuse Accountability and Cover-Up Act, which, since it went into effect a year ago, has allowed people to pursue legal action for sexual assault cases even after the statute of limitations has expired.
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