Lizzo was sued by three of her former dancers earlier this week, and now she may face a trial over the allegations.
The Grammy-winning singer denied accusations she fostered a hostile work environment on Thursday (August 3) after a lawsuit was filed against her over claims of sexual harassment, fat-shaming and more.
AD LOADING...
Now, an attorney for the three dancers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez — is threatening to take Lizzo to trial, claiming more witnesses have come forward since news of the lawsuit came to light.
“Given Lizzo is denying that any of this happened, let’s take it to trial,“ said Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Employment Lawyers. “More witnesses are coming forward every day corroborating the plaintiffs’ allegations, so we’re looking forward to facing Lizzo and her team in court.”
AD LOADING...
In a statement posted to Instagram on Thursday, Lizzo claimed her former dancers’ stories are “sensationalized” and have “hurt” her.
“Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed,” she wrote. “These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.
AD LOADING...
“Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team. I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”
She added: “There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.”
The plaintiffs claimed Lizzo once brought attention to a dancer’s weight gain, before berating then firing them after they recorded a meeting “because of a health condition.”
Davis claimed the singer and her choreographer told her she seemed “less committed” to her role after a performance at SXSW, which she alleged was a “thinly veiled” concern about her weight.
AD LOADING...
The dancers also accused Lizzo of pressuring them to touch a nude performer at a club in Amsterdam.
As well as that, they accused her dance captain, Shirlene Quigley, of “proselytizing to other performers and deriding those who had premarital sex while sharing lewd sexual fantasies, simulating oral sex and publicly discussing the virginity” of one of the three people suing.
AD LOADING...
Ron Zambrano, who’s representing the plaintiffs in the Lizzo complaint, stated the singer’s denial “only adds to our clients’ emotional distress.”
“The dismissive comments and utter lack of empathy are quite telling about her character and only serve to minimize the trauma she has caused the plaintiffs and other employees who have now come forward sharing their own negative experiences,” he said.
“While Lizzo notes it was never her intention ‘to make anyone feel uncomfortable,’ that is exactly what she did to the point of demoralizing her dancers and flagrantly violating the law.”
