It is an all-out battle between Paula Abdul and former “American Idol” govt producer Nigel Lythgoe … and now she’s producing alleged texts from him, which she says present among the methods he sexually harassed her.
Paula’s lawyer, Melissa Eubanks, tells TMZ … Nigel is victim-shaming Paula and is cherry-picking from years of communications between them as he tries to discredit the allegations she introduced in opposition to him in her sexual assault lawsuit in December.
As we first advised you, Nigel’s legal response to Paula’s swimsuit included alleged emails she despatched him … with Nigel claiming the emails gave off a pleasant and loving vibe between them … after the time Paula alleged he sexually assaulted her
Now, Paula’s firing again … as her lawyer says Nigel’s response fails to understand the ability dynamic of their relationship, the place Lythgoe was a strong exec/her boss and Paula labored beneath him as a choose on the truth competitors reveals he govt produced.
Abdul’s lawyer says … “He held the cards to her career in his hand and he knew it.” The lawyer additionally goes on to name Nigel’s tactic traditional sufferer shaming.
What’s extra, Paula’s authorized crew says these emails Nigel referenced in his docs had been simply Paula placating his ego with “positive messaging and seeming adoration … defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power.”
Paula claims to have some receipts from Nigel too … saying she has textual content messages from him displaying quite a few cases of overt sexual harassment.
Abdul’s camp claims Nigel texted her on March 8, 2014, writing … “When you get back to LA will you please make love to me! Slowly and lovingly!” Paula says she did not reply and Nigel double texted, “I’ll take that as a YES then!”
One other alleged textual content, from April, 10, 2014, is a response to a message Paula despatched Nigel about “So You Think You Can Dance” auditions in Las Vegas … to which Nigel allegedly responded, “I’ll come if you promise a big wet kiss! With tongues! Is a small grope of the ass asking too much?”
A number of months later, in July 2014, Paula claims Nigel acknowledged he was being inappropriate when he allegedly texted her … “You love me like a relation I love you like a girlfriend. I could easily be your f****** cousin? Ha Ha.”
Bear in mind … Paula claims Nigel sexually assaulted her twice — the primary time throughout “one of Idol’s initial sessions” within the early 2000s, and once more in some unspecified time in the future throughout her 2 seasons on ‘SYTYCD’ … a gig she began in 2015.
Paula’s lawyer additionally claims Nigel verbally assaulted Adbul on a number of events as properly … which she says “are evidence of the frequent abusive behavior that Ms. Abdul was subjected to during her time on American Idol and SYTYCD.”
Nigel’s crew has not responded to our request for remark.
