'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance producer Nigel Lythgoe had recently come under fire after being accused of s*xual assault by Paula Abdul, who had judged both shows on Friday, December 29. Now, the producer is facing even more heat, as two more women have come forward and filed a second s*xual assault suit on Tuesday, January 2.
The women, who chose to remain anonymous, were reportedly both contestants of the 2003 ABC Reality TV show All American Girl. The second lawsuit aims to charge Nigel Lythgoe with s*xual harassment, SA and Battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, along with negligence.
"It was openly accepted," said the alleged victims on Nigel Lythgoe's on-set harassment
Only a few days after Paula Abdul's lawsuit against Nigel Lythgoe for allegedly s*xually assaulting her during the filming of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, Lythgoe was hit with yet another lawsuit. On Tuesday, two women, identified as Jane Doe K.G. and Jane Doe K.L., came forward with a brand new SA lawsuit against the producer.
The women were contestants in the 2003 ABC show All American Girl and filed the lawsuit against Nigel Lythgoe and his unnamed production company. According to the lawsuit, in one instance, the producer, who frequently interacted with contestants, walked around the set and "openly swatted and groped Plaintiffs' and other contestants' buttocks" while they were in costumes. The lawsuit states:
"Employees, contractors, representatives and agents saw this happen but did not act in any manner to condemn the action or prevent it from happening again. It was openly accepted."
However, the allegations mainly stem from an incident that reportedly occurred after the wrap-up party of the show, which finished filming in May 2003. The lawsuit alleges that the producer took an "interest" in one of the women and asked her to ride in his car back to the studio, where everyone else was supposedly going. The other woman allegedly accompanied them to "ensure her colleague was not left alone."
Instead of going to the studio, Nigel Lythgoe allegedly took both women to his home in Los Angeles. While in his home, he reportedly made forceful s*xual advances. He allegedly lifted his sweater over one woman's head and tried pushing her close, but the woman "scrambled to release herself from his grasp."
The lawsuit claims he forced her partner against a grand piano and pushed himself close to her. He allegedly "forced his mouth and tongue onto her," despite the woman claiming to have said multiple times not to do so and even pulling her face away from his advances.
John Roe N.L. was the name with which the lawsuit identified Lythgoe. Just like Paula Abdul's lawsuit, this one, too, was filed under the S*xual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act of the state of California. The act, also known as Assembly Bill 2777, allows adult survivors more time to file lawsuits in cases with expired statutes of limitations.
The lawsuit attempts to indict Nigel Lythgoe with various serious charges. It accuses the producer of s*xual harassment, s*xual assault, and battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, January 2, at the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County.
