Paula Abdul blasts 'victim shaming' Nigel Lythgoe
Paula Abdul has hit out at Nigel Lythgoe, accusing him of "victim shaming".
Paula Abdul has accused Nigel Lythgoe of "victim shaming" following her sexual assault allegations.
The 61-year-old star launched a lawsuit against the 'American Idol' executive producer in December, accusing him of assaulting her on two separate occasions, and Abdul has now slammed his reaction to her accusations.
A statement from her lawyer said: "Mr. Lythgoe’s answer to Ms. Abdul’s complaint is classic victim shaming.
"These are the defences that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power."
In a recent legal filing, Lythgoe suggested that he actually had a good relationship with the TV star, sharing a series of texts and tweets that furthered that idea.
However, Abdul has now claimed that those messages distort the reality of their relationship.
Her statement added: "While Mr. Lythgoe’s answer cherry-picks from years of messages with Ms. Abdul to try to discredit her claims, what 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!' 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!'"
Abdul claims that Lythgoe showered her with unwanted attention for years, including during their time on 'American Idol' and 'So You Think You Can Dance'.
The lawyer said: "There are several instances of such verbal assaults against Ms. Abdul, which are evidence of the frequent abusive behaviour that Ms. Abdul was subjected to during her time on 'American Idol' and 'SYTYCD'."
Abdul is suing for sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence.
Lythgoe has denied the allegations.
The 74-year-old TV producer recently described Abdul as a "well-documented fabulist", adding that her filing is full of "wild and unsubstantiated allegations".
