Nigel Lythgoe is facing another sexual assault lawsuit

Nigel Lythgoe –producer of American Idol And So you think you can dance — has been hit with a new lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault.

In the new lawsuit – obtained by multiple sockets – which was filed Tuesday, Lythgoe is facing allegations from two women – identified as Jane Doe KG and Jane Doe KL – who claim they competed on the short-lived ABC reality competition show All American girl back in 2003.

The women allege in their lawsuit that the English producer and TV personality, now 74, took them to a Los Angeles home after filming wrapped — instead of to a studio to meet others as they say was planned – and then Lythgoe allegedly forcibly tried to kiss them despite protests.

He is also accused of groping and slapping the contestant’s buttocks on set during filming.

Lythgoe is referred to in the lawsuit as John Roe NL, while the show is identified as AAG. TMZ And Deadline have subsequently confirmed that Lythgoe is in fact the John Roe NL in question.

ET has reached out to Lythgoe’s reps for comment.

The lawsuit, filed on January 2, comes just a few days later Paula Abdul filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe, claiming the producer sexually assaulted her twice.

According to court documents obtained by ET, filed on December 29 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the GRAMMY winner claims the first alleged incident occurred during one of the American Idol‘The first seasons’. Abdul was one of the original judges of the singing competition series from 2002 to 2009, alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.

Abdul claims Lythgoe sexually assaulted her again in 2015 when she was a judge So you think you can dance.

Lythgoe firmly denied the allegations in a statement to ET on Saturday.

“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement,” Lythgoe said. “For more than twenty years, Paula and I have worked together as dear – and completely platonic – friends and colleagues. However, yesterday, out of the blue, I heard about these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply insulting to me and everything I stand for.”

“While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I cannot pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is not true,” Lythgoe’s statement concluded. “But I can promise that I will fight this horrible slander with everything I have.”

It should be noted that both Abdul’s lawsuit and the most recent lawsuit were filed under California’s Sexual Abuse and Concealment of Liability Actwhich gave people the opportunity to file lawsuits regarding alleged incidents that would otherwise fall outside the statute of limitations.

However, that window closed on December 31 – meaning Abdul’s lawsuit made the cut, but Tuesday’s lawsuit may not qualify for consideration under the Sexual Assault and Concealment of Responsibility Act.

As for the accusations made by Abdul, the singer and TV personality alleged in court documents that Lythgoe assaulted her in an elevator during her time American Idoland he is said to have “pushed”. [her] against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts and began shoving his tongue down her throat.” She claims she “tried to push Lythgoe away from her and let him know his behavior was not acceptable.”

After the alleged attack, Abdul claims she informed her representatives about it but chose not to take action out of “fear that Lythgoe would have her fired.” American Idol.”

Abdul also alleged that she was “discriminated against in terms of compensation and benefits compared to one of the show’s male judges and the presenter”, while she was also “the target of constant taunts, bullying, humiliation and intimidation” as a judge on the hit. series.

She further claims that Lythgoe assaulted her again in 2015, during her stay SYTYCDthis time at his home, where she was invited to dinner “under the belief that this was a professional invitation.”

But Abdul claims Lythgoe “forced himself on top of Abdul as she sat on his couch and tried to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent power couple.”

The ‘Opposites Attract’ singer claims she pushed him away, telling him she wasn’t interested in his advances and left his house. That same year, Abdul claims she also witnessed Lythgoe sexually assaulting one of her assistants, identified in court documents as April.

In a statement to ET, attorneys from Abdul, Johnson & Johnson, LLP spoke about the artist filing suit under California law AB 2777, also known as the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act.

“AB 2777 was passed for the express purpose of giving voice to sexual assault survivors who had been pressured, coerced, or otherwise deterred from holding their abusers accountable in the pre-MeToo era,” the statement said. declaration. “We are proud to provide Ms. Abdul with access to the court and a megaphone to tell her story.”

“Ms Abdul is to be commended for the enormous courage required to take action against the type of abuse inflicted on her, especially when the alleged abuser is a figure so dominant in her profession,” the statement continued. “It was clearly a difficult decision to make, but Ms. Abdul knows she stands both in the shoes and on the shoulders of many other survivors in similar circumstances, and she is determined to ensure that justice is done.”