PREVIEW

Nigel Lythgoe slapped with fourth sexual assault lawsuit. The So You Think You Can Dance judge and American Idol producer is being sued by an unnamed woman for alleged sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The anonymous woman has accused Lythgoe, 74, of pinning her to an exterior wall of his Los Angeles house and "licking (her) neck, touching her genitalia, and groping her all over" in 2018. ”As a result of the indicent (sic), Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional and psychological distress, guilt, humiliation, and embarrassment, all of which have greatly impacted her professional and personal life.” Her lawyer Melissa Eubanks said on Tuesday: "We far too often hear the stories of women who have been punished by superiors for rebuking unwanted sexual advances. Our Jane Doe's experience with Mr. Lythgoe is no different.” The new lawsuit came hours after Lythgoe's lawyers filed court documents denying he sexually assaulted Paula Abdul twice when they worked together on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Calling her claims "false, despicable, intolerable and life-changing" and "the worst form of character assassination", according to Variety, his lawyers described Abdul as a well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality and are primarily designed to attract attention and make Abdul appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune”. A month after Abdul filed her claims in December, two unnamed contestants from Lythgoe's 2003 competition show All American Girl accused him of sexual assault Lythgoe stepped down as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance as a result of the lawsuits. He was replaced by JoJo Siwa. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT