Paula Abdul files sexual assault lawsuit against SYTYCD judge Nigel Lythgoe
Grammy and Emmy award winning singer and choreographer Paula Abdul has accused producer Nigel Lythgoe of multiple sexual assaults that occurred when she was a judge on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. She filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which allows sexual assault suits to be filed even if the statute of limitations has passed (read more about it here).
19 Entertainment Inc., FremantleMedia North America Inc., American Idol Productions Inc., and Dance Nation Productions are also named as co-defendants in the lawsuit for failing to take steps to discipline Lythgoe and for protecting him from accountability. The suit alleges that Lythgoe’s behavior was common knowledge and cites a Mad TV parody in which Lythgoe was seen harassing contestants.
Click to viewPaula said she remained silent for years due to fear of speaking out against a powerful television producer who could easily break her career as a television personality. She said she feared being ostracized and blackballed. Another reason she did not speak out was that she had signed non-disclosure agreements as part of her employment on both reality shows, which prevented her from disclosing confidential or derogatory information. In the lawsuit, she said that Lythgoe once called to taunt her and said they should celebrate because it had been seven years and the statute of limitations had run out on the alleged assaults.
Nigel denied the allegations and said he was shocked and saddened by Paula's accusations. In his statement he also said, "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. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have."
Paula said the first assault occurred during the early 2000s when she was a judge on American Idol (which is produced by Nigel Lythgoe and his company). She alleges that while she and Nigel were traveling for regional auditions, [sensitive content] Nigel shoved her against the wall of an elevator, "grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat." She said she tried to push him away and as soon as the elevator doors opened, she ran to her hotel room. She said she immediately called one of her representatives about the incident but ultimately decided not to take action for fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from American Idol. The lawsuit also claims that she was "discriminated against in terms of compensation and benefits compared to one of the show’s male judges and the host" and was bullied, harassed, and taunted during her time on the show.
The second assault occurred in 2015. After Paula signed a contract to be a judge on season 12 of So You Think You Can Dance, Nigel invited her to dinner, presumably to discuss work. After the meal, Paula alleges that he [sensitive content] "forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent 'power couple.'" She said she pushed him off her, told him she wasn’t interested, and left immediately.
Another incident described in the lawsuit involved Paula's assistant. While filming SYTYCD in Las Vegas in 2015, Lythgoe allegedly approached Paula and one of her assistants from behind. He then [sensitive content]"pressed himself up against [the assistant] and began to grope her".
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