Nigel Lythgoe, the producer behind 'American Idol' and 'So You Think You Can Dance' has faced his second sexual assault lawsuit from the contestants of 'All American Girl' in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday.
Lythgoe was also sued by Paula Abdul, who had worked as a judge on both shows.
Lythgoe Faces Second Sexual Assault Lawsuit
In the new lawsuit, Lythgoe faces allegations from two women identified as Jane Doe K.G. and Jane Doe K.L. The two were contestants on 'All American Girl,' a competition show aired on ABC in 2003.
According to Variety, the producer allegedly brought the women to a house after the show's wrap party and made sexual moves on both of them. One of them alleges that he pulled his sweater over her head and tried to kiss her, while the other accuses him of pinning her against a grand piano and forcing his tongue onto her face as she tried to pull away.
The lawsuit claimed that Lythgoe walked around the set during the taping of the show and touched and swatted the contestants' butts.
In the lawsuit, Lythgoe was only identified as John Roe N.L., and the show was only recognized by its initials, A.A.G. TMZ initially identified the defendant.
Lythgoe's representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Furthermore, the new lawsuit stated that one of the plaintiffs, Jane Doe K.G., was born in November 1997, which was likely an error because the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act only applies to adult victims. Back then, Jane would only be five years old at the time of the assault.
The lawsuit alleges intentional infliction of mental distress, negligence, sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, and gender violence.
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Abdul Files Lawsuit Against Lythgoe
On Friday, Abdul filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe and claimed that he groped and kissed her in an elevator about 20 years ago. Years later, Lythgoe asked her to come to his house and tried to grope her again while she was sitting on his couch.
On Saturday, Lythgoe said in a statement, "For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear - and entirely platonic - friends and colleagues." He claimed that Abdul's allegations were false and deeply offensive.
Both lawsuits were filed under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which established a one-year window to file lawsuits that would otherwise be too old under the statute of limitations. The window closed on December 31.
The new lawsuit was filed on January 2, but Abdul's first lawsuit was filed on December 29. The plaintiffs' attorney, Mike Arias, did not immediately respond to a question regarding the timeliness of the lawsuit.
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