Another woman accused former “So You Think You Can Dance” and “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault.
The woman, a California resident who is identified as Jane Doe to protect her privacy, alleges that the executive producer forcibly touched her in his car in 2016 after he “insisted” on giving her a ride home. Her attorneys, who posted a statement and a copy of the complaint on her website, assert allegations of sexual assault and battery, gender-based violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress stemming from the alleged incident.
The law firm Johnson & Johnson LLP also represents “American Idol” alum Paula Abdul, who accused Lythgoe of sexual assault in late December. Two other women filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe in January.
The new complaint, which was reviewed Thursday by The Times but has not yet appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court records, says the woman met Lythgoe at a Beverly Hills hotel bar on Feb. 13, 2016. where I was celebrating a birthday dinner with friends. and family. After taking a photo with the producer and striking up a conversation, Lythgoe invited her to have drinks with him and her associates. She later “insisted on taking her” to her house, an apartment that was a block from the hotel, according to the complaint.
“Unfortunately, Lythgoe's intentions were not innocent. Shortly after entering the vehicle, Lythgoe began groping and kissing the plaintiff. The plaintiff attempted to push Lythgoe, but he only became more forceful. To make matters worse, Lythgoe's driver passed the plaintiff's home and began driving away from Beverly Hills toward the Hollywood Hills. Plaintiff struggled to keep Lythgoe away from her and instruct her driver how to return to her home, but Lythgoe would not relent. At one point, Lythgoe reached her hand up the plaintiff's skirt and penetrated her genitals.
“What should have been a quick two-minute drive ended up being a ten to fifteen minute sexual assault and battery in which the plaintiff was trapped in Lythgoe's vehicle. As a result, plaintiff suffered tremendous shock, guilt, humiliation, shame, and emotional distress.”
The woman is seeking a variety of undisclosed damages, attorneys' fees and other legal costs related to the lawsuit.
A representative for Lythgoe did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times' request for comment.
The complaint is the latest in a series of sexual assault allegations leveled against the 74-year-old British producer.
Abdul, who appeared as a judge on “American Idol” from 2002 to 2009 and the dance competition “SYTYCD” from 2015 to 2016, alleged in her late December lawsuit that Lythgoe assaulted her twice during her participation on his shows. She also alleged that she suffered bullying, harassment and gender pay discrimination while she served as a prominent public face of hit reality shows.
The producer denied Abdul's accusations, calling them “false” and “deeply offensive to me and everything I stand for.” He called her relationship with Abdul “completely platonic,” saying she was a friend and colleague of his, and vowed to “fight this egregious smear with everything I have.”
Less than a week after Abdul's appearance, two more women, identified as former contestants on the short-lived series “AAG,” believed to be a reference to Lythgoe's “All American Girl,” accused the producer of assault sexual. He was identified by the pseudonym John Roe NL in that presentation.
The women accused Lythgoe of making unwanted sexual advances and forcibly kissing them inside his Los Angeles home during filming of the competition show in 2003. The plaintiffs also alleged that Lythgoe visited the all-female contestants' dressing room and “ “He openly hit and groped.” them and the buttocks of other contestants. They allege that the show's employees, contractors and production representatives saw Lythgoe's alleged behavior and failed to intervene and prevent potential further abuse. The complaint said the behavior “was openly accepted.”
As pressure mounted on companies doing business with Lythgoe, he stepped away from his on-camera and behind-the-scenes roles on “SYTYCD.” In January, he was replaced as judge by “Dance Moms” alum Jojo Siwa for season 18, which premieres March 4 on Fox.
The show “will continue, albeit without Nigel Lythgoe, to ensure it remains committed to the contestants, who have worked incredibly hard for the opportunity to compete on our stage,” “SYTYCD” production companies (19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions) and Fox said in a joint statement in January.
Before that, Lythgoe told the Hollywood Reporter that the decision to step away from the show was his own. “I did it with a heavy heart but completely voluntarily because this great program has always been about dance and dancers, and that's where its focus should remain,” she said. “In the meantime, I am dedicated to clearing my name and restoring my reputation.”
Times staff writers Jen Yamato and Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.
