Lizzo lawsuit – latest: Ex-dancers’ lawyer hits back at singer’s response to sexual harassment claims
Plaintiff Arianna Davis alleges the Grammy winner made a ‘thinly-veiled’ comment about her weight and pressured her to touch nude performers at a strip club
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Your support makes all the difference.Lizzo has said “I’m not the villain” in response to sexual harassment and fat-shaming claims in a lawsuit filed by three former troupe members.
“These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized,” she wrote in a statement posted on her social media channels.
Shortly after the singer broke her silence, the accusers reacted in shock to Lizzo’s “disheartening” response to their claims during their first UK TV appearance since their allegations came to light on Tuesday (1 August).
“Initially for me it just further deepened my disappointment in regards to how I was feeling and how I was treated,” Crystal Williams said on Channel 4.
According to the legal filing, Lizzo (real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson) allegedly pressured one of her dancers, Arianna Davis into touching a nude performer at an Amsterdam strip club.
It is also alleged that the Grammy winner set up a humiliating 12-hour re-audition for her dancers, and fostered a hostile work environment.
Lizzo breaks silence and says dancers’ lawsuit claims are ‘false’
From sexual harassment to assault, all the allegations against Lizzo by former dancers
Dancer suing Lizzo suggested in 2021 she felt pressured to pose nude for singer’s Big Grrrls reality show
Lizzo’s former dancers react to singer’s ‘disheartening’ denial against allegations
Dancers’ lawyer hits back at Lizzo’s denial
“Given Lizzo is denying that any of this happened, let’s take it to trial,” said Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Employment Lawyers in a statement.
“More witnesses are coming forward every day corroborating the plaintiffs’ allegations, so we’re looking forward to facing Lizzo and her team in court.”
Read more:
What are the allegations against Lizzo?
Three of Lizzo’s former dancers have levelled accusations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct against Lizzo, her production company, and dance captain Shirlene Quigley in a new lawsuit.
The plaintiffs include Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez, who filed the paperwork at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday 1 August.
Claims against the singer include that she invited her employees “to take turns touching nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas” at a strip club in Amsterdam.
She is also accused of fat-shaming Davis, who was fired after Lizzo discovered her recording one of their meetings due to a health condition. “Ms Quigley and Lizzo then took turns berating Ms Davis,” the paperwork reportedly read. “After castigating Ms Davis, Lizzo fired Ms Davis on the spot.”
Quigley also allegedly “made comments deriding people who engaged in pre-marital sex, knowing that some members of the dance cast did not share her views”.
Lizzo breaks silence and says dancers’ lawsuit claims are ‘false’
In her first statement since news that three dancers are suing Lizzo for sexual harassment and workplace misconduct, the singer has denied she fat-shamed the plaintiffs.
“There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world, I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticise or terminate an employee because of their weight,” she said.
Read more:
Former employees launched allegations of inappropriate conduct against the ‘Truth Hurts’ singer this week
Ex-employees speak out in support of lawsuit: ‘I grieve parts of my own experience’
Two of Lizzo’s ex-employees have spoken out in support of the lawsuit filed by three of the singer’s former backing dancers.
In a statement posted on Instagram, dancer Courtney Hollinquest said that although she isn’t a part of the lawsuit, “this was very much my experience” while working with Lizzo.
“Big shoutout to the dancers who had the courage to bring this to light,” she wrote.
Lizzo’s former creative director Quinn Whitney Wilson re-shared Hollinquest’s Instagram Story, “echoing” what she said.
“I haven’t been apart [sic] of that world for around three years, for a reason,” Wilson shared. “I very much applaud the dancers courage to bring this to light. and I grieve parts of my own experience.”
Another person to have spoken out after the lawsuit is the filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison, who also claims to have had a negative experience working with the singer.
Read more:
Singer’s ex-creative director, a dancer and a filmmaker have all shared their personal insights on social media
RuPaul alum adds additional support for Lizzo
In addition to his original support for Lizzo, as she faces damaging allegations, RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Kahanna Montrese posted another separate Instagram Story, telling the singer to “stay strong”.
Lizzo’s former dancers react to singer’s ‘disheartening’ denial against allegations
Lizzo’s former employees have reacted to the singer’s denial of the accusations they’ve levelled against her, which include claims of sexual harassment and fostering a hostile work environment.
Two days after Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez filed a 44-page lawsuit against the “Truth Hurts” singer, her touring company and her dance captain Shirlene Quigley, Lizzo reacted to the accusations.
Addressing the claims on Instagram, Lizzo called them “false”, “outrageous” and “as unbelievable as they sound”.
The three accusers have since reacted to Lizzo’s “disheartening” statement in their first UK interview with Channel 4.
Read more:
‘Truth Hurts’ singer has been accused of inappropriate conduct by three former employees
From sexual harassment to assault, all the allegations against Lizzo by former dancers
Pop star Lizzo has responded to claims of sexual harassment and weight-shaming in a lawsuit filed by former members of her dance troupe.
In the 44-page suit, three dancers detail allegations of assault, inappropriate sexual behaviour, workplace misconduct, disability discrimination, and religious harassment against Lizzo and her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc (BGBT).
It also highlights alleged behaviour from Shirlene Quigley, the captain of Lizzo’s dance team.
The case centres on the alleged experiences of Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez, and Crystal Williams while they were employed by Lizzo and her Delaware-based company from September 2021 until May 2023.
Here are all the accusations Davis, Rodriguez, and Williams have made against the “Rumors” hitmaker:
From sexual harassment to assault, all the allegations against Lizzo by former dancers
Grammy winner, 35, responded to the ‘outrageous’ claims on Wednesday
‘I was treated with such disrespect’: Filmmaker calls Lizzo out in new post
Filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison has called Lizzo out for treating her “with such disrespect” after the singer’s former dancers accused her of body-shaming and sexual harassment. lawsuit against the singer
“In 2019, I travelled a bit with Lizzo to be the director of her documentary,” Allison wrote on an Instagram story. “I walked away after about two weeks. I was treated with such disrespect by her.
“I witnessed how arrogant, self-centred, and unkind she is. I was not protected and was thrown into a s***ty situation with little support. My spirit said to run as fast as you f***ing can and I’m so grateful I trusted my gut.”
Lizzo’s former dancers react to singer’s ‘disheartening’ and ‘performative’ denial to allegations
In their first UK interview, Lizzo’s former dancers reacted to the singer’s denial of the accusations they’ve levelled against her, which include claims of sexual harassment and fostering a hostile work environment.
On Wednesday (2 August), the trio spoke out for the first time during an appearance on NBC.
The next day, Lizzo publicly denied the allegations, calling them “false”, “outrageous” and “as unbelievable as they sound”.
Later that day, during their appearance on Channel 4, the accusers expressed “shock” over the singer’s “dismissive” response.
“Initially for me it just further deepened my disappointment in regards to how I was feeling and how I was treated,” Crystal Williams said.
“I think the overall theme in all this is that our experiences were our experiences and our traumas were our traumas. In bringing that forward, it feels like it was disregarded completely.”