Nigel Lythgoe is “shocked and saddened” by the sexual assault allegations made against him by his former collaborator Paula Abdul.
The singer filed a lawsuit against the former American Idol executive producer in Los Angeles on Friday in which she accused him of sexually assaulting her when they worked together.
Denying the allegations, Lythgoe claimed he doesn’t understand why Abdul “would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue” and insisted he will “fight this appalling smear with everything I have”.
“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement,” the statement continued. “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 to everything I stand for.”
In her lawsuit, the 61-year-old, who served as an American Idol judge between 2002 and 2009, alleged Lythgoe, 74, pushed her against the wall of a hotel elevator, groped her genitals and breasts and kissed her without her consent.
She also claimed the choreographer made unwanted advances years later when they worked as co-judges on So You Think You Can Dance.
Abdul, who was a main judge between 2015 and 2016, alleged Lythgoe forced himself on top of her while she was seated on his couch after dinner at his home and he “attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple’.”
She is suing him for alleged sexual assault, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence.
