CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses alleged sexual assault.
American singer, television personality and dancer Paula Abdul is reportedly suing American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe for alleged sexual assault.
According to US media outlet TMZ, Abdul filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe on Friday in Los Angeles, alleging she had been sexually assaulted while working with him on Americal Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. He has since told the publication that the allegations are “false” and “deeply offensive”.
“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement. For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear — and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues,” he told the publication.
“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.
“While Paula’s history of erratic behaviour is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
In court documents, which the publication claimed to have obtained, the suit noted multiple instances of alleged sexual assault from the American Idol executive, with one of the incidents being claimed to have “happened during one of Idol’s first initial seasons”.
The lawsuit claimed Lythgoe had allegedly forced himself onto Abdul at a hotel and the singer attempted to push him away. According to the suit, Abdul then ran away to her room as soon as the elevator doors opened. The suit continued to claim she “immediately called one of her reps to inform them” but she ultimately decided to “keep quiet” citing she was “fearing she’d be fired in retaliation”.
The second alleged incident happened “at some point” during the filming of So You Think You Can Dance Season Two, where Nigel and she were both on the judging panel.
The suit alleged Lythgoe forced himself onto Abdul after he invited her to his house to “discuss work opportunities”. During this alleged incident, Abdul claimed that Lythgoe said they would make “an excellent power couple”, to which Abdul pushed him off and said she wasn’t interested. She also alleged that he groped an assistant, which she claims to have witnessed.
Alongside the allegations of sexual assault, Abdul claimed that Lythgoe “taunted” her and alleged that she was a victim of harassment and discrimination when it came to compensation during her run on the American Idol judging panel.
Abdul reportedly filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe as well as 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia North America — the production companies behind the shows.
The lawsuit — as per The Guardian — was reportedly filed under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Act which allows people to take legal action in cases of sexual assault even if the statute of limitations has run out — which is the time frame in which people can file a case for alleged sexual assault.
Abdul hasn’t publicly commented on her lawsuit against Lythgoe or the companies who run the shows.
Image source: Getty Images / Fox
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
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