Producer Nigel Lythgoe is facing a second sexual assault lawsuit less than one week after Paula Abdul‘s accusations made headlines.
According to multiple outlets, the new suit was filed Tuesday, January 2, by two contestants who appeared on the 2003 competition show All American Girl, which searched for the nation’s “most well-rounded women” The accusers were identified as Jane Doe K.G. and Jane Doe K.L. while Lythgoe, 74, was listed as John Roe N.L. (TMZ and Deadline have confirmed Lythgoe is the defendant.)
The lawsuit alleges that Lythgoe drove the contestants to a house in Los Angeles after filming on the reality series had wrapped rather than meeting up with others at a studio as was originally planned. One of the accusers claims Lythgoe pinned her against a piano and forced his tongue onto her face despite her attempts to pull away.
Before filming wrapped, Lythgoe allegedly groped the contestants on set and smacked their rear ends. (Us Weekly has reached out to Lythgoe for comment.)
The second set of accusations comes shortly after Abdul, 61, sued Lythgoe for alleged misconduct on the set of American Idol, for which he was a producer until 2014. Abdul appeared as a judge on the singing competition for its first eight seasons.
In her lawsuit, which was filed just before the new year, Abdul alleged that Lythgoe “verbally insulted and belittled” her and called her a “has-been” when they met to discuss her judging position. She subsequently claimed that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her in a hotel elevator while they were traveling for auditions during one of her “initial seasons” of Idol, alleging that he “shoved [her] against the wall” and groped her.
While Abdul did not state the year of the first alleged encounter, she claimed another incident occurred in 2014. Lythgoe allegedly invited Abdul to his home for dinner to discuss professional matters and “forced himself on top of [her]” and “attempted to kiss her.”
According to the suit, “Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances and immediately left.”
Following her time on Idol, Abdul briefly joined the judging panel of So You Think You Can Dance, where she allegedly witnessed Lythgoe sexually assault one of her assistants without consent. (Lythgoe is the creator and executive producer of the reality dance competition and also serves as a judge.)
Lythgoe denied Abdul’s allegations in a statement to Us, noting that he was “shocked and saddened” by the accusations. “For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear — and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues,” he stated. “Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for.”
He continued, “While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
