Paula Abdul Sues “American Idol’ Producer for Alleged Sexual Assault
According to a lawsuit filed by Abdul, the pop star is accusing Nigel Lythgoe, one of the producers of ‘American Idol’ of sexually assaulting her in the early 2000s when she was a judge on the show…
The lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles also accuses Lythgoe of sexually assaulting Abdul after she left “American Idol” and became a judge on Lythgoe’s other competition show “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Lythgoe said in a statement that he was “shocked and saddened” to hear of the allegations made by Abdul, whom he said he considered a “dear” and “entirely platonic” friend.
According to the lawsuit, the first sexual assault occurred while Abdul and Lythgoe were on the road filming auditions for an earlier season of “American Idol,” which premiered in 2002.
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