Singer and reality TV judge Paula Abdul is accusing Nigel Lythgoe, her former coworker on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, of multiple incidents of sexual assault. Abdul filed a lawsuit with the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday. In her suit, the signer claims that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her on two occasions and engaged in bullying behavior. The first alleged incident occurred during on of the early seasons of American Idol. The second occurred during her tenure on the dance show. She is also accusing him of sexually assaulting her assistant.
In addition to suing Lythgoe, Abdul is also accusing several companies associated with the television shows of negligence and sexual harassment. Named in the suit are 9 Entertainment Inc., FremantleMedia North America Inc., American Idol Productions Inc., and Dance Nation Productions Inc.
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The first incident allegedly took place in an elevator in the early 2000s.
According to lawsuit documents obtained by People magazine, Abdul and Lythgoe were staying in a hotel for a regional American Idol audition when "Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts and began shoving his tongue down her throat" without her consent.
Abdul pushed him away and informed her representatives about the incident. She states in the court documents that she didn't report it further because of fears that she would lose her job because Lythgoe had the power to fire her from the show.
She also accuses Lythgoe of bullying and taunting.
Abdul, who argues that her contracts on American Idol and SYTYCD prevented her from sharing information about her experiences on the shows, also claims she was "discriminated against in terms of compensation and benefits compared to one of the show’s male judges and the host" while on American Idol.
She also believes that she was "the target of constant taunts, bullying, humiliation and harassment" during her time on the show.
The second incident allegedly happened in 2015 at Lythgoe's home.
According to the suit, Lythgoe invited Abdul to his home while she was a cohost on SYTYCD. Abdul states that she believed it was a professional invitation but that, when there, Lythgoe tried to kiss her and forced himself on top of her while she was seated on the couch.
Abdul also recounts that, in 2015, she also saw Lythgoe make unwanted advances on her assistant, April. According to lawsuit documents, "Lythgoe approached Abdul and April from behind, pressed himself up against April and began to grope her. April did not consent," People reported.
The suit was filed under the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act.
California and several other states have recently passed laws that allow for civil lawsuits related to sexual assault and harassment to be filed even if the statute of limitations for criminal charges has expired. The deadline to file lawsuits under this act is December 31, so Abdul's suit made it in just days before the window for her compliant would have closed.
Neither Lythgoe nor Abdul has made public comments about the lawsuit or the allegations.
