Lizzo and her team have fired back at the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by three of her former dancers, saying that it should be dismissed because it’s a “fabricated sob story.”
According to Billboard, the singer’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case in a Los Angeles court on Friday (October 27). In the filing, the three women suing were described as having “an axe to grind” who had shown “a pattern of gross misconduct and failure to perform their job up to par.”
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“Plaintiffs embarked on a press tour, vilifying defendants and pushing their fabricated sob story in the courts and in the media. That ends today,” it reads. “Instead of taking any accountability for their own actions, plaintiffs filed this lawsuit against defendants out of spite and in pursuit of media attention, public sympathy and a quick payday with minimal effort.”
Sworn statements from 18 members of Lizzo’s touring company disputing the lawsuit’s allegations were also included. It’s unclear if it’s an extension of the previously-filed motion to dismiss in September.
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The lawsuit — which names Lizzo, her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, and her dance captain, Shirlene Quigley — was filed back in August.
Among the allegations, the plaintiffs have claimed Lizzo once called attention to one dancer’s weight gain and later berated then fired that person after they recorded a meeting “because of a health condition.”
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Explained in more detail, dancer Arianna Davis claimed the singer and her choreographer told her after a SXSW performance that she seemed “less committed” to her role — which she alleged was a “thinly veiled” concern about her weight.
The dancers have also accused Lizzo of pressuring them to touch a nude performer at an Amsterdam club.
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As for the dance captain, the plaintiffs are accusing her of “proselytizing to other performers and deriding those who had premarital sex while sharing lewd sexual fantasies, simulating oral sex and publicly discussing the virginity” of one of the three people suing.
According to the suit, Davis and fellow plaintiff Crystal Williams started working with Lizzo after competing on her 2021 Amazon reality show, Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, and were later fired. The third, Noelle Rodriguez, was hired the same year after performing in the “Rumors” video and resigned earlier this year.
In response, Lizzo’s lawyer issued a statement to TMZ, telling the outlet that she plans on suing the dancers and that newly surfaced photos of her accusers “happily carousing” and “gleefully reveling” backstage with nude performers in Paris should help her case.
In September, Lizzo slapped with another lawsuit – this time from a former member of her wardrobe design team.
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Asha Daniels claimed she heard “fatphobic” and “racist” comments from members of the “Good As Hell” singer’s team, while also being forced to work unconscionable hours.
According to Daniels, Amanda Nomura was the worst offender. Nomura allegedly called Black women “dumb,” “useless,” and “fat.” Daniels also claimed that she was forbidden from “dressing sexy” because Lizzo would get jealous if her boyfriend was around other beautiful women.
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Daniels, who is suing for an undisclosed amount, claims that her experience on the tour left her with PTSD, as well as “migraines, ocular distortions, brain fog and fatigue.”
However, a representative for Lizzo vehemently refuted Daniels’ claims.
