Paula Abdul files a lawsuit
Singer Paula Abdul and TV producer Nigel Lythgoe have been working together for years. In the US show "So You Think You Can Dance", they even sat on the judging panel together for a while. But things are said to have been rumbling behind the scenes: Abdul is now accusing Lythgoe of sexual harassment.
US singer Paula Abdul has sued star producer and TV judge Nigel Lythgoe. The 61-year-old accuses the co-founder of the successful casting shows "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" of sexually harassing her on two occasions.
According to the lawsuit, quoted by Rolling Stone magazine, one incident took place in a hotel elevator. At the time, Abdul and Lythgoe were traveling to an audition for the show as part of the first season of "American Idol". The lawsuit does not specify the exact year.
According to the indictment, the producer pushed Abdul against the wall and groped her genitals and breasts. At the same time, he tried to push his tongue into her mouth. The singer fought back and tried to push him away. When the elevator door opened, she ran to her hotel room in tears. She had already spoken to people close to her about the incident, but had refrained from taking any further action. Paula Abdul was part of the jury in the first eight seasons of the US version of "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" from 2002 to 2009, Lythgoe was its executive producer.
Lythgoe also allegedly harassed assistant
A second assault is said to have taken place in 2014. It is said that Abdul was invited to a dinner at Lythgoe's house at the time. Assuming it was a business meeting, she attended. During the course of the evening, however, Lythgoe snuggled up to her and tried to kiss her again. At the same time, he explained to those present that he and the singer would make a great "power couple". However, Abdul rejected him again, got up and went home.
Abdul also explained that she had witnessed Lythgoe assaulting her assistant April in 2015. The producer also tried to grope the singer's employee against her will. Abdul had spoken to Lythgoe about this misconduct on the phone, but he had shown no understanding. Although he knew that his assaults were wrong, he had the power to silence her, the producer is said to have told Abdul.
So far, she has never spoken out publicly about the assaults because she feared the revenge of the powerful TV producer, Abdul explains. In her contracts, she was obliged not to disclose any sensitive information about the shows and business matters. Abdul also worked with Lythgoe, who is now 74, on "So You Think You Can Dance". The two even sat on the judging panel together in 2015 and 2016.
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Source: www.ntv.de
