by Mary Spiller
December 30, 2023
The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles court detailed two separated incidents of alleged assault.
Paula Abdul has lodged a lawsuit against Nigel Lythgoe for allegedly sexually assaulting her while she was a judge on “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance” under him as an executive. In court documents obtained by Page Six from the Dec. 29 filing, she claims Lythgoe forced himself onto her on multiple occasions, and the details were revealed to a Los Angeles court.
Abdul, 61, opened up about the first alleged assault that occurred during the audition stages of “one of Idol’s initial seasons.” She recalled that Lythgoe allegedly pushed her against a hotel elevator wall and forcefully fondled her, while trying to initiate a kiss.
“Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat,” the court documents stated. “Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her. When the doors to the elevator for her door opened, Abdul ran out of the elevator and to her hotel room. Abdul quickly called one of her representatives in tears to inform them of the assault.”
The entertainer and judge explained that she refrained from continuing to push her allegations of the incident because she was worried that he would radiate by firing her from the show.
The “Opposites Attract” singer continued to claim that the now-74-year-old executive sexually assaulted her again in 2015 after she bagged a deal to be a judge for “SYTYCD.“
The lawsuit stated that Adul said Lythgoe invited her to his home after hours under the guise of talking about further career opportunities for her, and she attended because she thought that it would be for work.
However, “Toward the end of the evening, Lythgoe forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple.’ Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances and immediately left.”
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