Nigel Lythgoe is facing another sexual assault lawsuit.
Days after Paula Abdul filed a complaint claiming the “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance” producer sexually assaulted her while filming the reality competition shows, two other women came forward with similar allegations in a lawsuit obtained Tuesday by Pvnew.
According to the women — who chose to file their suit anonymously as Jane Does — they were contestants on the all-female reality competition show “All American Girl,” which was produced by Lythgoe and aired for one season in 2003.
The women are suing Lythgoe — who was identified in the suit only as “John Roe N.L.” from the show “AAG” — and his unnamed production company for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
They are demanding a jury trial.
TMZ, which was first to report the lawsuit, has confirmed that the women are referring to Nigel Lythgoe and “All American Girl.”
The women allege in the filing that Lythgoe “walked around the set and dressing rooms and openly swatted and groped [their] and other contestants’ buttocks” when they were wearing dance costumes.
They claim in the documents that “employees, contractors, representatives and agents saw this happen but did not act in any manner to condemn the action or prevent it from happening again. It was openly accepted.”
According to the women, Lythgoe allegedly took “an unusual interest” in one of them at the wrap party to celebrate the end of filming and “insisted” that she “ride in his car to go back to the studio where everyone else was going.”
The other woman allegedly “saw this and decided to go with them to ensure her colleague was not left alone.”
They claim in the complaint that Lythgoe took them back to his Los Angeles home and allegedly “made sexual advances” on them, which they allegedly “rejected.”
At one point, Lythgoe allegedly “lifted his sweater” over one of the women’s heads and “engulfed her in his sweater, attempting to kiss her and pushing her body close to his.”
Later that night, he allegedly “pinned [the other woman] against a grand piano in the house, pushed himself against her body and forced his mouth and tongue onto her.”
The women claim they’ve suffered and continue to suffer from “pain, suffering, shock, emotional distress, embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, disgrace, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of earnings and earning capacity, and/or have incurred and will continue to incur expenses for medical and psychological treatment, counseling and/or therapy.”
Reps for the English TV honcho, 74, did not immediately respond to Pvnew’s request for comment.
However, he vehemently denied Abdul’s allegations last week and vowed to “fight this appalling smear.”
Abdul, 61, claimed in her suit that Lythgoe “shoved [her] against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts and began shoving his tongue down her throat” in a hotel elevator while they were traveling for “AI” during one of the show’s “initial seasons.”
Abdul claimed in the filing a second incident occurred when she was a judge on “SYTYCD,” alleging that Lythgoe “forced himself on top of [her] while she was seated on his couch [in his home] and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple.'”
She allegedly rejected the advances.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
