Paula Abdul – the veteran dancer, singer, choreographer and actress – is taking legal action against one of her former colleagues. The media personality has formally filed a lawsuit against Nigel Lythgoe, a former executive producer of American Idol. Per the filing, Abdul is accusing Lythegoe of two alleged instances of sexual assault that purportedly occurred while she was still on the long-running reality competition series and on another. The suit also contains details of the supposed encounters.
The 61-year-old entertainment industry veteran filed the lawsuit within California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act. This particular bill allows potential plaintiffs a one-year window to file certain suits revolving around sexual abuse, with the deadline to file being December 31. Per Variety, Paula Abdul’s suit was filed on Friday, and she alleges that Nigel Lythgoe first sexually assaulted her during an early season of the former Fox show’s run. She says that in that situation, Lythgoe pushed her against a wall in a hotel and shoved his tongue down her throat while groping her breast and genitals. After she tried to push him away, she allegedly ran to her room when a door opened.
