‘American Idol’ producer and ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ creator, Nigel Lythgoe is facing another sexual assault lawsuit. This new lawsuit comes hours after the producer demanded that the accusations made by Paula Abdul be tossed.
The new lawsuit accuses Lythgoe of sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual harassment, and negligence, according to Deadline. The fourth woman identified as Jane Doe filed the lawsuit against the producer over a 2018 incident. Doe claims Lythgoe “suddenly forced” himself on her, similar to what Paula Abdul stated as well. The suit reads: “After a few minutes of professional discourse, Lythgoe suddenly forced Plaintiff against the property’s exterior side wall by shoving his knee between her legs and then started licking Plaintiff’s neck, touching her genitalia, and grouping her all over. Plaintiff tried to push Lythgoe away from her, but he had her pinned against the wall so that she could not move. Lythgoe continued to grope and tried to kiss Plaintiff.”
“Once Plaintiff could break free of Lythgoe, she immediately left the property and drove away. However, Plaintiff was so shaken by the attack that she had to pull her car over only a block away from Lythgoe’s residence. Plaintiff then sat in her car shaking and crying for approximately thirty minutes before she was able to drive the remainder of the way home.”
Abdul was a judge on American Idol from 2002 to 2009 and So You Think You Can Dance from 2013 to 2016, and Lythgoe was a judge on SYTYCD for 16 seasons. Abdul claims the first incident occurred during American Idol’s “initial” seasons. She alleges that the second incident happened when she visited Lythgoe’s house to discuss business opportunities. During the meeting, Abdul claims, Lythgoe attempted to force himself on her. Ms. Abdul’s legal representation did not immediately respond to The A.V. Club’s request for comment.
On January 2, two contestants from the reality game show All American Girl, which Lythgoe produced and directed, sued Lythgoe for sexual assault, battery, and gender violence. Three days later, he announced his departure from So You Think You Can Dance.
RELATED: Paula Abdul Sues “American Idol” Executive Producer For Sexual Assault
In a new filing issued by Lythgoe, the producer denies Abdul’s allegations, accusing his former colleague of abusing the “legal process for her own personal and selfish gains.” Lythgoe vowed to “promote the dissemination of truth,” asserting that he is an innocent “victim of Abdul’s appalling lies.” It was Lythgoe, the suit argues, that “fought” to include Abdul on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance,” despite what he characterizes as “the industry’s hesitation” to work with her due to her alleged “drug-fueled erratic behavior.”
Lythgoe accuses Abdul of a history of fabrication, calling her “a well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality and are primarily designed to attract attention and make Abdul appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune.” He points to a 1992 television interview in which Abdul claimed to have survived a plane crash with then-husband Emilio Estevez, of which there is no record.