Paula Abdul Asks Court to 'Strike' Part of Nigel Lythgoe's Response in Lawsuit, Claims He 'Weaponized' It
Paula Abdul is asking the court to strike part of Nigel Lythgoe's response to her sexual assault lawsuit.
In new court documents obtained by ET, filed on March 14, the 61-year-old singer claims that the 74-year-old executive producer used his response to her lawsuit to "weaponize it as a credibility attack against Abdul.
"Lythgoe clearly has used his Answer not for its intended purpose (i.e., to craft well-pleaded and supported defenses) but instead to weaponize it as a credibility attack against Ms. Abdul through the court of public opinion," the filing reads. "Such pleading tactics are clearly improper, for the reasons set forth above, and thus Ms. Abdul respectfully requests that the Court grant her Motion to Strike and strike from Lythgoe’s Answer page 2, line 3 through page 16, line 21."
The latest filing also includes text messages from Lythgoe, provided by Abdul, claiming they are "sexual and provocative."
The latest update comes after Abdul accused Lythgoe of victim shaming her following his response in court to her lawsuit.
In a statement to ET from the former American Idol judge's lawyer, Melissa Eubanks, Abdul calls Lythgoe's response as "classic victim shaming" while also accusing Lythgoe of failing to "appreciate that he held a position of power over Ms. Abdul."
"He was a producer on American Idol and SYTYCD and she was the talent," the statement continues. "He held the cards to her career in his hand and he knew it. It thus is no surprise that Ms. Abdul placated to his ego with positive messaging and seeming adoration. These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power."
Abdul also claims Lythgoe cherry-picked from years of messages with her in an effort to discredit her claims.
"[W]hat his selections fail to show are the numerous instances of overt sexual harassment he forced Ms. Abdul to tolerate. On March 8, 2014, Mr. Lythgoe wrote to Ms. Abdul: 'When you get back to LA will you please make love to me! Slowly and lovingly!'" the statement continues. "When Ms. Abdul failed to respond, Mr. Lythgoe proclaimed: 'I’ll take that as a YES then!' On April 10, 2014, he similarly wrote, in response to a message from Ms. Abdul about SYTYCD auditions in Las Vegas: 'I’ll come if you promise a big wet kiss! With tongues! Is a small grope of the a** asking too much?'"
"In July 2014, Mr. Lythgoe even acknowledged the inappropriateness of his behavior to Ms. Abdul: 'you love me like a relation I love you like a girlfriend. I could easily be your f**king cousin? Ha Ha'. There are several instances of such verbal assaults against Ms. Abdul, which are evidence of the frequent abusive behavior that Ms. Abdul was subjected to during her time on American Idol and SYTYCD."
Lythgoe responded to Abdul's claims he sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions and called her accusations "pure fiction."
According to court documents obtained by ET, Lythgoe refers to "Abdul's own words" to defend himself against allegations she made in a lawsuit she filed back in December. Lythgoe is adamant he did not harass, bully or sexually abuse Abdul.
"How do we know?" Lythgoe rhetorically asks in court documents. "Abdul's own words: her private emails and public statements on social media, made time and time again during and after the time she now alleges the abuse occurred, wherein Abdul expressed how she really felt about Lythgoe, her friend and colleague."
In the 22-page response filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Lythgoe included the text of these purported emails Abdul sent him over the years. He did not attach the emails or screenshots to the lawsuit. Lythgoe also included text to purported messages Abdul tweeted at Lythgoe over the years, messages that Lythgoe claims indicate he has been Abdul's "champion, support-system, colleague and professional collaborator, whose guidance and attention she sought out and for whom she expressed love and adoration time and time publicly and in private during the same period of time that Abdul now alleges she was 'abused' by Lythgoe."
One such purported email reads:
"Hi sweetheart - thank you for this lovely 'gift'.
It's perfect and so true to what we've been discussing lately.
Please forgive me for not calling yesterday.
Between my father who just got admitted back into ICU, and me volunteering to film all day today for the PSA for Avon's Breast Cancer foundation, I feel as though Ive [sic] been ripped in two.
Haven't slept since I last saw you.
I just need to get thru this 12hr. shoot & remember that it's all for a great cause :-)
A happy note-... My sister's coming down to film a bit w/me :-)
Not sure if you knew this or not,
Wendy's a breast cancer survivor!
Forever grateful,
Forever my sis!!
And....
Forever grateful to have you in my life!
Love, love LOVE YOU!
Xo P"
One purported tweet from Abdul to Lythgoe -- whose Twitter handle is @dizzyfeet -- is dated May 13, 2009, when Lythgoe claims she tweeted, "@dizzyfeet, Great seeing you last night. Can't wait for the new season of SYTYCD!! Have a great day:)"
Lythgoe claims he and Abdul "were long-time friends" who "spent birthdays together." He claims he was the only American Idol executive invited to her 40th birthday party and that they "celebrated other milestones and achievements with family and friends."
The embattled Hollywood producer also claims he "fought for Abdul to be included in projects such as American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, despite the industry's hesitation to work with Abdul, in part due to the reputation she developed because of her drug-fueled erratic behavior."
He went on to claim that Abdul's lawsuit "can only be explained as a ploy for long-ago lost relevance and fame and/or for unjustified profit ahead of her announced Magic Summer 2024 tour." Lythgoe is requesting the court to toss Abdul's lawsuit.
In her lawsuit, Abdul claimed Lythgoe sexually assaulted her in an elevator during one of American Idol's "initial seasons." She was one of the original judges from 2002 to 2009, alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. Abdul claims Lythgoe sexually assaulted her again in 2015 at his home, when she was a judge on SYTYCD.
Lythgoe denied Abdul's claims, telling ET of the allegations, "Not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for."
Since Abdul's lawsuit, Lythgoe has faced lawsuits from two unidentified women who said they competed on the short-lived series All American Girl in 2003. Shortly thereafter, the production companies and network behind the dance competition series announced Lythgoe's exit from the show.
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