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The sexual assault and battery lawsuit Paula Abdul filed against American Idol was resolved out of court, but the trial for her case against producer Nigel Lythgoe is scheduled for the following year.
Abdul, 61, filed a lawsuit in December 2023 alleging sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and negligence against Lythgoe, 74, and the show's production firms. According to a story published by Deadline on Tuesday, April 30, Abdul has reached a settlement over her lawsuit against the production companies FremantleMedia North America, American Idols Productions, 19 Entertainment, and Dance Nation Productions. A jury trial for her allegations against Lythgoe is scheduled to start in July 2025.
According to court documents, Abdul accused the former American Idol producer of assaulting her twice.
The Grammy winner claims her first assault occurred in the early 2000s in a hotel elevator. Lythgoe allegedly shoved her against the wall, grabbed her genitals and breasts, and shoved his tongue down her throat. Hollywood has faced scandals, including Harvey Weinstein's accusations of sexual assault and harassment in 2017. Abdul served as a main judge for American Idol from seasons 1 to 8 and was a guest judge in seasons 9, 12, 15, and 21.
Simon Fuller and Lythgoe created Idol and a new competition show, So You Think You Can Dance. Abdul was a guest judge for season 10 and a main judge for seasons 12 and 13. A lawsuit claims that Lythgoe assaulted her during a meeting for the new show, forcing himself on her and attempting to kiss her while claiming they would make an excellent "power couple."
Paula Abdul, a former contestant on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance, filed a lawsuit against Nigel Lythgoe, who co-created the show with Simon Fuller. Abdul's legal team accused Lythgoe of victim shaming after cueing the audition music. Lythgoe has been named in three suits filed by anonymous women with similar claims. Abdul's legal team responded that Lythgoe's response to Abdul's complaint was "classic victim shaming." Lythgoe has since exited So You Think You Can Dance, where he served as a judge and executive producer since the 2005 premiere. He was replaced by JoJo Siwa in the midst of the allegations. Lythgoe's lawyers have stated that he will continue to promote the dissemination of truth, confirming that Abdul is not a victim of sexual assault but Lythgoe, who has been a victim of Abdul's lies.
