Paula Abdul is responding to Nigel Lythgoe’s blanket denial of her sexual assault allegations, with her attorneys producing text messages allegedly sent between them.
“Mr. Lythgoe’s answer to Ms. Abdul’s complaint is classic victim shaming,” Abdul’s lawyers wrote in a statement obtained by Entertainment Weekly.
Lythgoe filed legal documents on Tuesday in which he presented past emails from Abdul that he believed displayed their friendly relationship while working together on “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”
“Hi sweetheart — thank you for this lovely ‘gift.’ Please forgive me for not calling yesterday. Forever grateful to have you in my life! Love, love LOVE YOU! XO P,” read one message from Abdul.
But Abdul’s team says the past messages are “cherry-picked” and only showcase the power that Lythgoe held over his employee.
“Mr. Lythgoe fails to appreciate that he held a position of power over Ms. Abdul. He was a producer on ‘American Idol’ and ‘SYTYCD’ and she was the talent,” her attorneys stated.
“He held the cards to her career in his hand and he knew it. It thus is no surprise that Ms. Abdul placated to his ego with positive messaging and seeming adoration. These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power.”
Representatives for Lythgoe did not immediately respond to a Daily News request for comment.
Abdul’s team also produced quotes from past messages that Lythgoe allegedly sent to Abdul, saying they evidenced varying levels of harassment.
“When you get back to LA will you please make love to me! Slowly and lovingly!” the producer allegedly wrote her in 2014.
“Is a small grope of the ass asking too much?” he allegedly asked in another text.
In a lawsuit filed last December, Abdul accused Lythgoe of groping and kissing her in a hotel elevator during an early season of “Idol,” saying he assaulted her again during a dinner at his home while they were working on “SYTYCD.”
Although Lythgoe’s team has called the accusations “pure fiction,” at least four other women have now come forward and filed lawsuits against him, claiming sexual assault and/or battery.
