Lizzo hit with second lawsuit alleging hostile work environment on tour
Lizzo is facing another lawsuit from one of her former employees, accusing the “Special” singer of condoning an “unsafe, sexually charged workplace culture” while on tour.
Asha Daniels, who designed wardrobe for Lizzo’s dancers, accused the entertainer, along with Lizzo's production company and members of her management team, of creating an environment that allowed for “shocking and racist behavior” while on tour beginning last February.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court said that Daniels experienced “degradation, forced physical labor, denial of medical care, sexual harassment, and racial harassment” while on tour earlier this year with Lizzo, who was born Melissa Jefferson.
“Almost immediately, Plaintiff was introduced to the culture of racism and bullying on Lizzo’s tour,” the lawsuit alleged, saying dancers were “forced to change in and out of their clothing in small, tight, changing areas during all the shows with little to no privacy whatsoever” while crew members who were “primarily white males, would lewdly gawk, sneer, and giggle while watching the dancers rush through their outfit changes.”
The lawsuit alleged that Daniels was “forced to hear racist and fatphobic comments” from Amanda Nomura, who is identified as a supervising agent for Lizzo’s production company, and faced threats and retaliation.
The complaint comes less than two months after three of Lizzo’s former dancers sued the 35-year-old star, saying they were “exposed to an overtly sexual atmosphere that permeated their workplace” while on tour. Daniels is being represented by the same legal team, West Coast Trial Lawyers, as the trio of dancers.
A representative for Lizzo didn’t immediately respond to ITK’s request for comment, but in a Thursday statement to NBC News, Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for the Grammy Award winner, called the complaint a “bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit.”
—Updated at 3:17 p.m.