- By Yasmin Rufo
- Culture reporter
British TV executive Nigel Lythgoe has been accused of sexual assault and battery in a new lawsuit.
An unnamed woman has accused Lythgoe, a former judge on US TV’s So You Think You Can Dance, of “groping her all over” after pinning her against a wall.
It is the fourth lawsuit against the 74-year-old in recent months, including one brought by US singer Paula Abdul.
He has denied all previous allegations and his representatives gave no comment to US media about the latest lawsuit.
The BBC has contacted his representatives for a response.
Court documents filed in Los Angeles claim the woman was left feeling “horribly violated” and suffered “severe emotional and psychological distress” after the alleged assault in 2018.
Her lawyer Melissa Eubanks said: “Mr Lythgoe allegedly forced himself upon our client during what was supposed to be a business meeting and then terminated their relationship when she did not acquiesce.”
The case comes after two former contestants on All American Girl, of which Lythgoe was a producer, sued him in January over alleged sexual assault.
Meanwhile, Abdul has claimed the TV mogul assaulted her while the pair worked together on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.
Image source, Getty Images
Paula Abdul claims that Nigel Lythgoe (top left) first assaulted her during an early season of American Idol
In his response to Abdul, filed this week and reported by US media, he called the singer a “well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality and are primarily designed to attract attention and make Abdul appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune”.
He vigorously denied her claims, calling them “false, despicable, intolerable and life-changing” and describing them as “the worst form of character assassination”.
Lythgoe was an executive producer of Pop Idol and American Idol and has also acted as an on-screen judge on Popstars in the UK as well as So You Think You Can Dance in the US.
He stepped down from So You Think You Can Dance with a “heavy heart” in January.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
