LOS ANGELES (AP) – Paula Abdul has accused former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her in the early 2000s when she was a judge on the reality competition show, according to a new lawsuit.
The lawsuit filed on Friday in Los Angeles also accuses Lythgoe of sexually assaulting Abdul after she left American Idol and became a judge on Lythgoe’s other competition show So You Think You Can Dance.
In a statement last Saturday, Abdul’s lawyer Douglas Johnson applauded the singer and dancer for speaking out publicly.
“It was clearly a difficult decision to make, but Abdul knows that she stands both in the shoes and on the shoulders of many other similarly situated survivors, and she is determined to see that justice is done,” Johnson said.
Lythgoe said in a statement that he was shocked and saddened to hear of the allegations made by Abdul, who he said he considered a ‘dear’ and ‘entirely platonic’ friend.
“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,” Lythgoe said in the statement. “But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
The lawsuit states Abdul remained silent for years about the alleged assaults out of fear of retaliation by one of the most well-known producers of television competition shows.
