Paula Abdul has filed a lawsuit against american idol Producer Nigel Lythgoe, alleging that he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.
In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Friday, Abdul accused Lythgoe of sexual assault/assault, sexual harassment, gender-based violence, and negligence (via Rolling Stone). She also says she was verbally berated, harassed, discriminated against, and paid less than her fellow male judges.
Abdul served as a judge in american idol from 2002 to 2009. During one of the “initial seasons” of the show, Abdul says he sexually assaulted Lythgoe in the elevator of a hotel room they were staying in while traveling for auditions.
“Lythgoe pushed Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts and began shoving his tongue down her throat,” the lawsuit alleges. Abdul says he tried to get Lythgoe away from her and ran out of the elevator once the doors opened. She says she then called one of her representatives to inform them of the incident.
A second assault allegedly occurred in 2014, when Abdul attended a dinner at Lythgoe's home. “Toward the end of the evening, Lythgoe climbed on top of Abdul while she was sitting on her couch and attempted to kiss her while she proclaimed that the two would make a great 'power couple,'” the lawsuit states. “Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explained that she was not interested in his advances and left immediately.”
Abdul says he initially decided not to make the attacks public for fear of retaliation. Lythgoe served as producer on american idoland later served as executive producer and co-host So, you think you can dance with Abdul. He allegedly threatened to fire her from both concerts.
The lawsuit also claims that Abdul witnessed Lythgoe sexually assaulting one of his assistants on the set of So, you think you can dance in 2015. The singer and dancer also alleges that Lythgoe mocked her by telling her that they should celebrate the assault because “seven years had passed and the statute of limitations had expired.”
Abdul's lawsuit was filed under California's Sexual Abuse Concealment Accountability Act, which temporarily suspends the statute of limitations for sexual misconduct claims in civil lawsuits.
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