Nigel Lythgoe, who was days in the past sued for sexual assault by singer Paula Abdul, has now been accused of sexually assaulting two extra girls.
Lythgoe, a TV and movie producer, was hit with a second lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, based on quite a few retailers that obtained and launched the authorized grievance. The lawsuit was filed by two former contestants of the all-female actuality competitors present All American Girl, which Lythgoe produced.
The 74-year-old has been sued for negligence, sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and intentional infliction of emotional misery. His accusers haven’t been publicly named, although the lawsuit additionally lists an unnamed manufacturing firm as a defendant alongside Lythgoe.
The two girls, who’re recognized solely as “Jane Doe K.G.” and “Jane Doe K.L.,” stated Lythgoe victimized them each whereas they had been contestants on All American Girl. Together, the ladies alleged Lythgoe forcibly kissed them and groped them on set.
Lythgoe shouldn’t be named outright within the lawsuit and is referred to solely as “John Roe N.L.” TMZ was first to determine Lythgoe as John Roe, with quite a few different retailers following swimsuit.
He has not responded publicly to the brand new allegations in opposition to him. He has already denied assaulting Abdul.
In the most recent lawsuit, the Jane Does claimed Lythgoe “walked around the set and dressing rooms and openly swatted and groped Plaintiffs’ and other contestants’ buttocks.” The girls claimed Lythgoe’s behaviour was “openly accepted” and was by no means condemned.
The accusers additionally detailed a forged and crew wrap occasion hosted by the unnamed manufacturing firm. The lawsuit alleged that whereas on the occasion, Lythgoe took an “unusual interest” in Jane Doe Ok.N. and supplied to drive her privately to the studio, the place the partygoers had been set to reconvene. Jane Doe Ok.L. stated she selected to drive in the identical automobile as Lythgoe and the opposite girl “to ensure her colleague was not left alone.”
In the automobile, Lythgoe allegedly made undesirable “sexual advances” towards each girls. He reportedly lifted his sweater over the pinnacle of Jane Doe Ok.G., held her shut and tried to kiss her. She rejected the kiss and “scrambled to release herself from his grip.”
Lythgoe opted to carry the ladies to his private residence as an alternative of the studio, the lawsuit reads. There, he allegedly cornered Jane Doe Ok.L. in opposition to a grand piano and “forced his mouth and tongue onto her.” Only when Jane Doe Ok.G. protested the behaviour did Lythgoe stop.
Lythgoe’s accusers are searching for a jury trial and all kinds of damages. The girls stated they skilled emotional misery, embarrassment and lack of vanity on account of Lythgoe’s abuse. The Jane Does stated they “will continue to incur expenses for medical and psychological treatment, counseling and/or therapy.”
According to Deadline, the lawsuit might not be profitable. The swimsuit was filed as a part of California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which allowed victims of older sexual assaults to file claims in opposition to their abusers in instances past the statute of limitations. The deadline to file was Dec. 31, 2023. The lawsuit was filed on Jan. 2, 2024.
As is, the lawsuit additionally features a presumed typo relating to the start yr of Jane Doe Ok.G. The authorized submitting claims she was born in 1997, although this implies she would have been six years outdated on the time of the alleged assault by Lythgoe.
All American Girl, which noticed contestants battle it out in a expertise present and impediment course, aired on ABC in 2003 and lasted just one season.
Paula Abdul’s allegations
Grammy-winning singer Paula Abdul filed a lawsuit in opposition to Lythgoe late final week, claiming he sexually assaulted her whereas she labored on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Lythgoe previously produced each actuality TV exhibits.
Abdul, 61, stated Lythgoe sexually assaulted her on two separate events.
In the primary occasion, Abdul stated Lythgoe sexually assaulted her whereas filming early seasons of Idol. She alleged Lythgoe tried to kiss her and grabbed her breasts and genitals whereas in an elevator.
The Straight Up singer stated she didn’t take motion in opposition to Lythgoe over a “fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from American Idol.”
She additional claimed within the lawsuit that she skilled gender discrimination and was unfairly compensated compared to her male choose counterparts. She stated her time on Idol was marred by being “the target of constant taunts, bullying, humiliation and harassment.”
Abdul was an Idol choose alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson from 2002 to 2009.
The singer stated Lythgoe later sexually assaulted her once more in 2015 whereas they had been each filming So You Think You Can Dance.
Abdul stated she was known as to Lythgoe’s house as a part of what she thought was a “professional invitation.” The swimsuit claims Lythgoe “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.”
In her lawsuit, Abdul stated she verbally denied Lythgoe’s advances and left his house.
Abdul moreover accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her assistant.
The lawsuit from Abdul was additionally filed beneath California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, and was submitted previous to the Dec. 31, 2023 deadline.
Lythgoe staunchly denied Abdul’s allegations to TMZ the day after her lawsuit was filed.
“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement,” Lythgoe stated. “For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear — and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues.”
“I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for,” Lythgoe continued. “While Paula’s history of erratic behaviour 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.”
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If you or somebody you understand is experiencing abuse or is concerned in an abusive scenario, please go to the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for assist. They are additionally reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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