Lizzo has formally denied the accusations against her and asked a judge to dismiss the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by three of her former dancers last month.
In court documents filed by the GRAMMY winner’s legal team on Thursday and obtained by ET, Lizzo — whose legal name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson — and her touring group are asking the courts to dismiss the case made against them by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, saying the former dancers’ court filing “fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against Defendants.”
The filed response claims the “plaintiffs are guilty of unclean hands,” which is a legal term meaning that they are not entitled to any damages because they allegedly acted in bad faith and/or unethically.
The docs go on to say, “Plaintiffs have ratified, acquiesced, condoned and/or approved of the acts or omissions of Defendants, in whole or in part, about which Plaintiffs now complain,” regarding the complaints made by Davis, Williams and Rodriguez.
“To the extent Plaintiffs allege punitive damages, the Complaint fails to allege a claim for which punitive damages can be recovered,” the response continues. “Defendants are not liable in whole or in part for punitive damages because they did not (a) engage in wrongful conduct, (b) authorize or ratify any wrongful conduct, or (c) have advance knowledge of the unfitness of any employee and employ that employee with a conscious disregard of the rights and safety of others.”
Lizzo and her Big Grrrl touring entity denied “each and every allegation” in the lawsuit and asked that it be dismissed “in its entirety with prejudice.” Otherwise, the singer asked for a trial by jury to fight the lawsuit.
Stefan Friedman, spokesperson for Lizzo, told ET, “This is the first step of a legal process in which Lizzo and her team will demonstrate that they have always practiced what they’ve preached – whether it comes to promoting body positivity, leading a safe and supportive workplace or protecting individuals from any kind of harassment. Any and all claims to the contrary are ridiculous, and we look forward to proving so in a court of law.”
In response to Lizzo’s filing, Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and attorney for Davis, Williams and Rodriguez, told ET, “Lizzo’s answer merely consists of boilerplate objections that have nothing to do with the case. That said, the key takeaway is that Lizzo is agreeing to our clients’ demand for a jury trial. We look forward to presenting our case in court and letting a panel of her peers decide who is telling the truth, Lizzo and her team who continue to shame the victims or the plaintiffs and so many others who have come forward sharing very similar stories of abuse and harassment.”
Davis, Williams and Rodriguez filed their joint lawsuit against Lizzo in August, claiming they faced sexual harassment when they worked with the singer as contestants on her reality TV show, Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, in March 2021, and on her Special tour. The lawsuit claims they also faced religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment, among other allegations.
The women filed the lawsuit against Lizzo, her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and Shirlene Quigley, the captain of Lizzo’s dance team.
In a statement posted to Instagram shortly after the lawsuit made headlines, Lizzo called the allegations “outrageous” and “sensationalized.”
“These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing,” the singer wrote at the time. “My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. It’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team.”
Saying she didn’t want to be viewed as a “victim,” Lizzo added, “I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days.”
Lizzo concluded the post by thanking those who have shown her support and vowing, “I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this.”
“I think for me; it’s just very interesting to be so open and genuine about the trauma that we experienced and to be open about the hurt that she caused us, for her to [respond back by] essentially gaslighting us,” Williams told ET about the singer’s statement.
She continued, “She never acknowledged any of the claims [directly] that we have brought forward to the table. And so for it to be met with that, it just kind of solidifies the pattern that every time we bring up an issue, every time we advocate for ourselves, every time we speak up for ourselves, we’re met with retaliation instead of ‘OK, you experienced this. As an artist and what I represent, I don’t want you to feel like I don’t care about you. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t want to include you. I don’t want you to feel like I’m body-shaming you. If this is what you’re feeling, I might completely disagree with you but, I can at least try to hear you out to see how we can go moving forward.'”
“But we weren’t met with that,” Williams lamented. “We were constantly being gaslit, and she’s constantly deflecting. So it just further proves our point and solidifies the claims that we’re making.”
While the singer defended herself against the dancers’ accusations, Lizzo faced more legal troubles when her former wardrobe stylist, Asha Daniels, also filed a lawsuit against the singer and her team earlier this month.
Daniels, a professional clothing designer, designed the wardrobe for the dancers who will be on Lizzo’s 2023 tour. In court docs obtained by ET, Daniels alleges that Lizzo condoned a sexualized, racially charged and illegal work environment, allowed her management team to express racist and fatphobic comments, mock Black women, deny workers medical care and forced Daniels to endure degrading sexual harassment.
Lizzo’s production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura, and tour manager Carlina Gugliotta, are also named defendants in Daniels’ lawsuit.
Friedman told ET at the time, “As Lizzo receives a Humanitarian Award tonight from the Black Music Action Coalition for the incredible charitable work she has done to lift up all people, an ambulance-chasing lawyer tries to sully this honor by recruiting someone to file a bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit who, wait for it, never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo. We will pay this as much attention as it deserves. None.”
Later that day, Lizzo was one of the night’s guests of honor at the 2023 Black Music Action Coalition Gala, where the “Truth Hurts” singer was honored with the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award.
“Black Music Action Coalition, y’all really are about that action. Thank you so much for this, because I needed this right now. God’s timing is always on time!” Lizzo said when she took to the stage to accept her award, per Variety. “I didn’t write a speech because I don’t know what to say in times like these.”
She went on to describe her humanitarian and activist initiatives, including donating a quarter of a million dollars in June to Black-led organizations dedicated to helping Black youth, women and the trans community.
“It’s easy to do the right thing when everybody’s watching you, and it’s what you do in those moments when nobody’s watching that defines who you are,” she continued. “And I’m going to continue to be who I am, no matter who’s watching. I’m going to continue to shine a light on the people who are helping people, because they deserve it. I’m going to continue to amplify the voices of marginalized people because I have a microphone and I know how to use it.
“And, I’m going to continue to put on and represent safe spaces for fat Black women, because that’s what the f**k I do!”
Meanwhile, Daniels told ET that she was “highly triggered” when Davis, Williams and Rodriguez came forward with their accusations.
“I’m someone who, when I go through a traumatic experience, I’ll repress it. Let me think about something else, let me dive into work and just forget that this happened,” she said.
“And when they came forward, I had all [these] memories of the things that happened to me, and just through this process. The work environment was so blatantly and boldly abusive that I have so much proof of all of this. Actually, talking through all of this with [attorney] Ron [Zambrano], it’s kind of amazing that I have the proof of this,” Daniels claimed.
She added, “Because I have worked through a lot of hard situations… I’m really good at putting on a poker face. I want to live in a world where Black women don’t have to put on a poker face. Most Black women that I know, know how to be falling apart on the inside and sit here and look you in the eye and hold it together until [they] get home. So, I’ve had a really tough time with this, but I hope that this can be a human journey [for] me.”
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