Paula Abdul Is Suing Nigel Lythgoe for Sexual Assault
American Idol executive producer and So You Think You Can Dance creator Nigel Lythgoe is facing legal action from Paula Abdul for allegedly sexually assaulting her while she was a judge on those two shows. Per TMZ, Abdul filed a lawsuit in L.A. County on Friday under a California act that gives plaintiffs a window to file sexual-assault claims even after the statute of limitations has passed. (In the suit, Abdul claims that Lythgoe once “taunted” her by calling to say they should celebrate that it had been “seven years and the statute of limitations had run.”) According to court docs obtained by TMZ and Rolling Stone, Abdul is accusing Lythgoe of assaulting her during regional auditions for one of the “initial seasons” of Idol, which premiered in 2002. She alleges that he pushed her against the wall in a hotel elevator, grabbed her genitals and breasts, and tried to kiss her. In the suit, Abdul recalls running out of the elevator and immediately calling a rep, but claims that she ultimately stayed quiet because she was scared of being fired in retaliation. More broadly, she also alleges that she was “verbally insulted and belittled” by Lythgoe in a meeting with execs before she was hired on Idol, was paid less than fellow male judges, and was bullied by Lythgoe and the show’s production.
Abdul’s lawsuit details another assault that allegedly happened years later, after she had signed a contract to judge SYTYCD. She claims that she went to Lythgoe’s house for what she thought would be a discussion of professional opportunities over dinner. Instead, he allegedly forced himself on top of her and tried to kiss her, saying they would make an “excellent power couple.” She claims that she pushed him off of her and immediately left, but was again afraid of retaliation. Abdul further alleges that she saw Lythgoe groping her assistant while she was judging SYTYCD in 2015.
Abdul is suing Lythgoe, 19 Entertainment, and FremantleMedia North America for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and negligence. Representatives for Lythgoe did not immediately respond to Vulture’s request for comment.
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