Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has been hit with a second sexual assault lawsuit by two former contestants of All-American Girl, an all-girl competition show for which Lythgoe was a producer in the early Noughties.
The second lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday (2 January) by anonymous plaintiffs Jane Doe KG and Jane Doe KN, comes days after Lythgoe was accused of sexual assault by former American Idol judge Paula Abdul. Lythgoe said he was “shocked” by Abdul’s allegations, and denied abusing her in a statement.
In the new legal filings, seen by The Independent, John Roe NL and Roe Production Company are named as the defendants. The former has been identified as Lythgoe, Deadline confirmed.
The plaintiffs have accused the British producer of sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and intentional infliction of emotional distress for an incident they claim to have occurred in May 2003.
According to Jane Doe KG and Jane Doe KN, Lythgoe would appear from time to time during the filming of the show and interact with the contestants. On one occasion, Lythgoe “walked around the set and dressing rooms and openly swatted and groped Plaintiffs’ and other contestants’ buttocks”, reads the suit.
It goes on to detail a specific incident, which is alleged to have happened after the show’s finale party in May 2003 when Lythgoe “insisted that Plaintiff KN ride in his car to go back to the studio where everyone else was going”.
Plaintiff KG is said to have gone with them “to ensure her colleague was not left alone”.
Nigel Lythgoe— (Invision)
“Instead of driving Plaintiffs back to the studio where everybody else was going, [Lythgoe] took Plaintiffs to a home in Los Angeles,” the filing continues. “There, [Lythgoe] made sexual advances on Plaintiff KG and KN Plaintiffs rejected the advances but [Lythgoe] persisted and continued making advances.”
Lythgoe is alleged to have “lifted his sweater over Plaintiff KG’s head and engulfed her in his sweater, attempting to kiss her and pushing her body close to his”. Plaintiff KG is said to have again “rejected the kiss and scrambled to release herself from his grasp”.
“Later that night, [Lythgoe] pinned Plaintiff KN against a grand piano in the house, pushed himself against her body, and forced his mouth and tongue onto her despite her numerous statements telling him not to and attempts to pull her face away from his,” the filing adds. “When Plaintiff KG saw this and protested, [Lythgoe] finally surrendered.”
The plaintiffs are seeking a trial jury and a variety of damages, including past, present and future medical and/or mental health treatment and medications, lost earnings and economic damages.
The Independent has contacted Lythgoe’s representative for comment.
