Pop icon Paula Abdul has filed a lawsuit accusing American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on Friday, claims that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her within the early 2000s each whereas she was on American Idol and after she left that present and have become a choose on Lythgoe’s different competitors sequence, So You Assume You Can Dance.
Abdul’s lawyer Douglas Johnson issued an announcement on Saturday that stated, “It was clearly a difficult decision to make, but Ms. Abdul knows that she stands both in the shoes and on the shoulders of many other similarly situated survivors, and she is determined to see that justice is done.”
ABC Information reports, “Lythgoe said in a statement that he was ‘shocked and saddened’ to hear of the allegations made by Abdul, who he said he considered a ‘dear’ and ‘entirely platonic’ friend.”
Lythgoe additionally introduced up Abdul’s historical past of “erratic behavior.”
“While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue,” Lythgoe stated within the assertion. “But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
Abdul’s lawsuit claims that she stored quiet in regards to the assault for thus a few years as a result of worry of retaliation by “one of the most well-known producers of television competition shows.”
ABC Information stories:
In accordance with the lawsuit, the primary sexual assault occurred whereas Abdul and Lythgoe have been on the street filming auditions for an earlier season of “American Idol,” which premiered in 2002.
Abdul says Lythgoe groped her within the elevator of their resort after a day of filming and “began shoving his tongue down her throat.” Abdul pushed him away and ran to her resort room when the elevator doorways opened.
“In tears, Abdul quickly called one of her representatives to inform them of the assault,” the lawsuit says, “but ultimately decided not to take action for fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from American Idol.”
Abdul left American Idol in 2009 after being a choose for the primary eight seasons.
She grew to become a choose on Lythgoe’s So You Assume You Can Dance in 2015.
“Around that time, Abdul alleged in the lawsuit, Lythgoe forced himself on top of her during a dinner at his home and tried to kiss her. Abdul said she again pushed Lythgoe away and immediately left,” ABC stories.
The report provides, “The lawsuit also accuses Lythgoe of taunting Abdul about the alleged assaults, saying to her years later that ‘they should celebrate’ because ‘the statute of limitations had run.’”
Abdul has not labored with Lythgoe since leaving the dancing competitors present.
The lawsuit was filed simply earlier than the December 31 deadline for the California one-year window for victims of sexual assault to file complaints if the statute of limitations had handed.
