Italian
A year after suing him for sexual assault, Paula Abdul has reached a settlement with “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe.
Abdul’s attorneys notified the court on Thursday that the case had been resolved. Terms were not disclosed.
“I am grateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me,” Abdul said in a statement. “This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle. I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women, facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives.”
In his own statement, Lythgoe said he knows “the truth” of the allegations and is happy to have the suit over with.
Popular on Variety “We live in a troubling time where a person is now automatically assumed to be guilty until proven innocent, a process that can take years,” he said. “That is why, like Paula, I am glad to be able to put this behind me. I know the truth and that gives me great comfort.”
Abdul accused Lythgoe of groping her in an elevator about 20 years ago, when she worked as a judge on “American Idol.” She also alleged that a decade later, when she was a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance,” Lythgoe invited her to his home and then forced himself on her when she was sitting on a couch, causing her to flee.
Lythgoe, 75, adamantly denied the claims, calling them an “appalling smear” and alluding to her “history of erratic behavior.”
He stepped down as a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” in January, after a second suit was filed accusing him of sexually assaulting two contestants on the short-lived competition show “All American Girl.” JoJo Siwa replaced him for the 18th season of “So You Think You Can Dance.” That lawsuit remains pending. A third lawsuit was filed in March, in which a woman identified as Jane Doe accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her at his home in 2018. Lythgoe lost a bid to throw out that lawsuit, and is appealing that decision.
