Lizzo’s legal professionals responded in court docket to the lawsuit filed final month by three former dancers with a blanket denial of their allegations of sexual harassment and making a hostile work surroundings, a spokesman for the artist mentioned Thursday.
“This is step one within the authorized course of during which Lizzo and her group will show that they’ve all the time practiced what they stand for — whether or not it’s selling physique positivity, main a protected and supportive office or defending people from any kind of dangerous habits.” “Any claims on the contrary are ridiculous, and we sit up for proving that in a court docket of legislation,” spokesman Stefan Friedman mentioned.
In response to the lawsuit filed by Ariana Davis, Crystal Williams and Noel Rodriguez, the legal professionals mentioned that the dancers didn’t undergo any accidents, losses or damages.
The doc, which was filed Wednesday night time in Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom on behalf of Lizzo and her manufacturing firm Massive Grrrl Touring Inc., additionally raises greater than 30 “affirmative defenses” — or authorized justifications for why the dancers mustn’t win the lawsuit. — together with that Lizzo’s alleged habits was for “official causes.”
Lizzo has beforehand referred to as the allegations “false” and “outrageous.”
The dancers’ legal professional dismissed the lawsuit filed Wednesday as “typical objections irrelevant to the case” and mentioned the principle level of the doc is that Lizzo agreed to a jury trial.
“We sit up for presenting our case in court docket and permitting a panel of her friends to resolve who’s telling the reality, Lizzo and her group who proceed to disgrace victims or plaintiffs and the numerous others who’ve come ahead sharing very related tales of abuse and harassment.”
The lawsuit, filed on August 1, alleges that Lizzo referred to as out a dancer for being obese and pressured her to grope a unadorned dancer at an Amsterdam strip membership.
The lawsuit additionally accused Lizzo of falsely claiming that dancers have been consuming earlier than performances, then subjecting the group to a “traumatic” 12-hour exercise throughout which one of many dancers misplaced management of her bladder.
Williams mentioned she misplaced her job after she disputed Lizzo’s claims in the course of the April assembly.
In a separate lawsuit filed final week, Lizzo’s former stylist accused the artist of permitting a tradition of bullying, harassment, and racial discrimination.
A spokesperson for Lizzo referred to as the request “a phony and ridiculous publicity stunt from somebody who has by no means met and even spoken to Lizzo.”