In a new filing responding to sexual assault allegations, Nigel Lythgoe describes Paula Abdul as drug addled and a ‘fabulist’
Nigel Lythgoe is fighting back hard against Paula Abdul‘s lawsuit in which she alleges that twice she was sexually assaulted by the American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance producer.
In new documents filed to the L.A. Superior Court on Friday and obtained by Variety, Lythgoe denies Abdul’s claims, calling them “false, despicable, intolerable and life-changing” and also describing them m as “the worst form of character assassination.”
In the filing, Lythgoe paints Abdul as a “well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality and are primarily designed to attract attention and make Abdul appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune.”
Also included in the fining–a slew of emails and posts which he says show they had a very friendly relationship for years after she alleges he sexually assaulted her. “It is unthinkable that Abdul would even tolerate Lythgoe’s physical proximity let alone send him adoring messages and sexually provocative jokes if her allegations were true — which, clearly, they are not,” the filing reads.
The filing also accuses Abdul of “drug-fueled erratic behavior,” and “a ploy for long-ago lost relevance and fame and/or for unjustified profit ahead of her announced ‘Magic Summer’ 2024 tour.”The filing seeks to dismiss Abdul’s complaint with prejudice.
The filing includes what Lythgoe describes as “friendly” and “loving” messages from Abdul
The filing includes messages from Abdul to Lythgoe, which TMZ posted. A Sept. 12, 2014 email reads in part, “Hi sweetheart — thank you for this lovely ‘gift.’ Please forgive me for not calling yesterday. Forever grateful to have you in my life! Love, love LOVE YOU! XO P.”
Another, dated June 20, 2014, says, “Thank you for the beautiful flowers — they were exquisite! But, I have to say the kicker was the birthday card last night. I am still howling! I truly appreciate our friendship and am looking forward to launching our project.”
Lythgoe’s filing also includes pages of Paula’s public tweets at his @dizzyfeet handle, starting in 2009 and continuing through 2015 when they were both working on ‘SYTYCD.’ Many of them include photos of them together and captions like, “You know the crew loves you, too!! :)) xoxoP” — and, in a Thanksgiving tweet, she wrote, “I’m grateful that I met you too, Nigel! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! xoxoP.”
It’s worth noting that the messages are from years ago when the two worked together, and Lythgoe was essentially Abdul’s boss. Abusive relationships are complicated, particularly if the abuser is in a position of power over the abused. A person could need years of therapy to figure out that what happened to them, was indeed assault. And again, the filing lacks any recent correspondence between the two.
Lythgoe claims Abdul was “drug addled” and questions her story about surviving a plane crash in 1992
The filing also takes major swipes at Abdul’s character and believability. Lythgoe claims he championed her to be hired on American Idol and SYTYCD against “opposition from other executives due to Abdul’s “already well-known erratic behavior.”
Lythgoe also claims the Idol execs frequently discussed Abdul’s alleged substance abuse issues. “At her worst, Abdul was slurring her speech, unintelligible, drooling and passing out in audition rooms, having to be carried out on two separate occasions.”
And finally, he calls into question Abdul’s claim that she hurt her back in a plane crash in 1992. “There are no records whatsoever of the supposed plane crash. In one interview Abdul explained that she was able to keep the story under wraps with NDAs and because ‘there was no internet at the time.’ In another interview, she explained that at the time of the crash, there were ‘no computers.'”
Paula Abdul describes two incidents in which she claims Nigel Lythgoe sexually assaulted her
In her lawsuit, Abdul describes two incidents where she claims Nigel sexually assaulted her. In the early seasons of American Idol, she claims Lythgoe grabbed her breasts and genitals and tried to kiss her while the crew was out on the road to film auditions.
Additionally, she claims that in 2015, after signing a new contract to serve as judge on SYTYCD, Lythgoe forced himself on top of her while she was on a couch trying to kiss her. He invited her to his home under the guise that he wanted to discuss business, she said. Also in 2015, Paula claims she witnessed Lythgoe groping one of her assistants.
After Abdul filed suit, three more women filed suit claiming Lythgoe sexually assaulted them.
Two anonymous contestants from a short-lived ABC reality show that Lythgoe produced also filed a lawsuit. Jane Doe K.G. and Jane Doe K.N. have filed a sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment and negligence civil suit against John Roe N.L. over an alleged attack in May 2003. Nobody in the suit is fully named, but Deadline confirmed that John Roe N.L. is Lythgoe.
The two plaintiffs, seeking a jury trial, say the incident took place after the single-season show’s finale party, when Lythgoe allegedly drove the women to a Los Angeles home instead of the studio where he promised to take them, to meet others. The lawsuit claims that Lythgoe forced kisses and pushed his body up against the plaintiffs. (Read complaint HERE.)
The latest lawsuit was filed on Saturday (Feb 17) in Los Angeles Superior court
According to the suit, detailed by The Hollywood Reporter, the accuser met Lythgoe in 2016 at a hotel in Beverly Hills and that he “insisted” on driving her home. The complaint describes the alleged assault, which took place inside his car over the course of at least 10 minutes.
“Plaintiff tried to push Lythgoe away from her and instruct Lythgoe’s driver how to return to her house, but Lythgoe continued to grab at Plaintiff, fondle her breasts, and kiss her,” the suit states. “Lythgoe even shoved his hand up Plaintiff’s skirt and penetrated her genitalia.” The woman claims Lythgoe eventually stopped once his driver arrived at her apartment after allegedly taking an unexpectedly long route.
