Paula Abdul faced sexual assualt twice
Paula Abdul alleged in a lawsuit Friday that Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” twice sexually assaulted her.
The lawsuit alleges that during one of the early seasons of “American Idol”, Lythgoe found her and sexually assaulted in an elevator.
She alleges that he pushed her against the wall, touched her breasts and private parts and put his tongue on her throat. According to the lawsuit, she tried to push him away and as soon as the hotel door opened, she ran into her room.
2nd time Lythgoe Assualted her in his home
Years later, Abdul was a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance”. Lythgoe invited her to dinner at his home and she accepted, thinking it would be a professional meeting. However, according to her lawsuit, while she was sitting on her couch, Lythgoe came up to her, tried to kiss her and told her they would make a great “power couple”.
She pushed him again and she ran from his home, the lawsuit says.
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Not only that Paula Abdul accused Lythgoe of bullying and sexually assualting an assistant
The lawsuit also accuses Lythgoe of verbal harassment and bullying, and alleges that Abdul was discriminated against and paid less than male “American Idol” judges. The lawsuit further alleges that the show would be edited in a misleading manner to make him appear ineligible.
Additionally, Abdul alleges that in April 2015, she witnessed Lythgoe sexually assault an assistant, choking her and touching her without her consent.
After years of silent Paula Abdul decide to talk about it.
“For years, Paula Abdul remained silent about the sexual assault and harassment she suffered at the hands of Lythgoe out of fear of speaking out against one of television’s most famous competition show producers, which could have easily ruined her television career and her television persona .
The lawsuit says she is being ostracized by the industry that had a pattern of protecting powerful men and silencing survivors of sexual assault and harassment.
The lawsuit alleges that Lythgoe’s behavior was public known and cites a MADTV drama in which Lythgoe was seen harassing contestants.
According to the lawsuit, Lythgoe once called Abdul and taunted her, saying, “Seven years have passed and the statute of limitations has expired.”
Abdul signed confidentiality agreements as part of her employment on both reality shows, preventing her from disclosing confidential or defamatory information.
Abdul filed the lawsuit under California’s Sexual Abuse and Concealment Accountability Act, which created a one-year period to file certain sexual abuse claims that would otherwise be outside the statute of limitations. The last date to apply is 31 December.
Abdul rose to stardom in the late 1980s and pursued a second career as a reality TV competition judge in the early 2000s.