Nigel Lythgoe Faces Fourth Sexual Assault Lawsuit After Denying Paula Abdul’s Claims
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Earlier this week, former So You Think You Can Dance judge Nigel Lythgoe was accused of sexual assault for the fourth time in just a few months. This latest claim came hours after Lythgoe filed a response to Paula Abdul’s lawsuit from December.
Nigel Lythgoe Faces Fourth Sexual Assault Lawsuit
According to Variety, the latest accusation against Lythgoe comes from a Jane Doe who claims the incident happened in 2018 at Lythgoe’s Los Angeles residence. She accuses Lythgoe of forcing her against a wall, licking her neck, and touching her genitals.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff “suffered severe emotional and psychological distress, guilt, humiliation, and embarrassment, all of which have greatly impacted her professional and personal life.”
This is the fourth sexual assault lawsuit filed against Lythgoe since December. The first was filed by Paula Abdul, and another was filed in January by two more Jane Does. Then in February, yet another lawsuit was filed against Lythgoe.
In January, Lythgoe stepped down as a judge on the upcoming season of So You Think You Can Dance. He was eventually replaced by JoJo Siwa, who will judge this season alongside Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Allison Holker.
SEE ALSO: NIGEL LYTHGOE LEAVES ‘SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE’ AMID SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS
Lythgoe Responded to Abdul’s Claims
In December, Abdul accused Lythgoe of assaulting her when they worked together on American Idol, and again when she sat on the So You Think You Can Dance judging panel. At the time, Lythgoe said in a statement that he was “shocked and saddened” by Abdul’s accusations.
Just hours before the latest lawsuit was filed against him this week, Lythgoe filed a response to Abdul’s claims. The response describes Abdul as “a well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality.”
The filing also cites private emails and social media posts which are described as “adoring messages and comments” which show “positive feelings toward Lythgoe” during and after the time when the alleged assaults occurred.
