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So, you think you can dance Co-creator and former judge Nigel Lythgoe has been accused of sexual assault for the fourth time in less than three months.
“Lythgoe’s sexual assault and battery were so traumatizing that Plaintiff no longer feels like the confident, capable, and independent woman she was before the incident,” Jane Doe says of the alleged 2018 incident in a filing filed with the Court today Superior of Los Angeles.
Read Jane Does’ sexual assault lawsuit against Nigel Lythgoe here
Similar to an alleged 2015 attack that Paula Abdul detailed in her own lawsuit late last year, and in early January a civil lawsuit alleging sexual battery/assault, sexual harassment and negligence filed by Jane Doe KG and Jane Doe KN, the latter Jane Doe’s claim occurred at Lythgoe’s. Los Angeles residence. In this case, a meeting that apparently quickly turned toxic:
After a few minutes of professional speech, Lythgoe suddenly forced the plaintiff against the outside side wall of the property by pushing his knee between her legs and then began licking the plaintiff’s neck, touching her genitals and groping her all over. The plaintiff tried to get Lythgoe away from her, but he had her pinned against the wall so she couldn’t move. Lythgoe continued to grope and attempted to kiss the plaintiff.
Once the plaintiff was able to free herself from Lythgoe, she immediately abandoned the property and drove away. However, plaintiff was so shocked by her attack that she had to stop her car just one block from Lythgoe’s residence. Plaintiff then sat in her car shaking and crying for approximately thirty minutes before she was able to drive the rest of the way home.
As a result of the incident (sic), the plaintiff has suffered severe emotional and psychological distress, guilt, humiliation and shame, all of which has greatly impacted her professional and personal life.
The filing from law firm Johnson & Johnson comes just hours after Lythgoe filed a response to Abdul’s Dec. 29 complaint calling his ex SYTYCD colleague a “well-documented fabulist” and stops short of labeling her crazy.
Abdul is also represented by Johnson & Johnson, as is another Jane Doe who sued Lythgoe in late February over an alleged 2016 assault in a chauffeur-driven car. In this case, this Jane Doe is seeking unspecified damages and “such other relief as the Court deems appropriate.”
“Too often we hear stories of women who have been punished by superiors for rebuking unwanted sexual advances,” attorney Melissa Eubanks said Tuesday of the new filing. “Our Jane Doe’s experience with Mr. Lythgoe is no different.”
“After more than a decade of professional and cordial relationship, Mr. Lythgoe allegedly forced himself on our client during what was supposed to be a business meeting and then ended their relationship when she did not comply,” Johnson & Johnson’s lead attorney said. Johnson. aggregate. “We hope stories like this become a thing of the past and we continue to be proud to support the women who are finally standing up to say, ‘enough is enough.’
Lythgoe’s representatives had no comment on this latest allegation when contacted by Deadline.
However, since the producer has issued a debunked statement regarding the past accusations, it’s reasonable to expect that one will eventually come. If there is such a response, this post will be updated.
In January, facing two sexual assault lawsuits, Lythgoe left SYTYCD.
“I have informed the producers of So, you think you can dance of my decision to stop participating in this year’s series,” said the series co-creator, head judge and EP. “I did it with a heavy heart but completely voluntarily because this great program has always been about dance and dancers, and that is where its focus should remain. In the meantime, I am dedicated to clearing my name and restoring my reputation.”