Lizzo‘s lawyer has revealed that the singer intends to sue her former backup dancers for “malicious prosecution” following their lawsuit against her.
- READ MORE: Lizzo – ‘Special’ review: joyful superstar uplifts with self-assured, self-empowering bops
The pop star is being sued by three of her former backup dancers – Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez – in a lawsuit that names Lizzo, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc., and her dance team captain Shirlene Quigley as defendants. In the suit, Lizzo’s former backup dancers accuse her of creating a hostile work environment and engaging in sexual harassment among other allegations.
According to a statement shared by Lizzo’s attorney Martin Singer on Wednesday (August 23), they “intend to sue for malicious prosecution after she prevails and these specious claims are dismissed”. He also added: “The lawsuit is a sham.”
Singer also provided photos of the plaintiffs with “the performers after the topless cabaret show at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris” on March 5. According to their lawsuit, the plaintiffs (Davis, Williams and Rodriguez) claimed that Lizzo “failed to mention when inviting the dancers to this performance was that it was a nude cabaret bar.”
Lizzo’s lawyer also said that all three dancers returned to work on the tour following the Paris outing. “These irrefutable photos and videos, along with additional substantial evidence, prove the glaring contradictions between what the plaintiffs claim in their bogus lawsuit and what is actually proven by the facts,” writes Singer.
Neama Rahmani, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, responded to Singer’s statement and told The Independent: “We’ve addressed all these instances where the plaintiffs appear to be happy alongside Lizzo during their time working with her.”
She continued: “Of course, they wanted to keep their jobs. They had bills to pay just like everyone else but they finally had enough of the abuse. We stand by every claim in the lawsuit and look forward to trial.
“We’ve been hearing from other former employees sharing similar stories, and as seen in the Los Angeles Times article today about how Lizzo used intimate footage of her dancers without their approval in the 2022 HBO Max Love Lizzo documentary, we’re seeing even more of a pattern of just how much Lizzo thinks of those who work for her. Clearly, not very much.”
She ended her statement by calling Singer’s threats “empty” and saying: “I’ve handled thousands of cases, including prosecuting drug cartels so we have no plans to back down. Let’s see if Singer can actually try a case in a courtroom instead of the media.”
Lizzo has previously shared a statement regarding the suit in which she said she was “hurt” and denied the allegations. The three dancers then responded to her statement, saying it was “disheartening” to read.
Williams and Rodriguez later alleged in an interview with Sky News that they tried to “settle” the disagreement “in-house” before filing a lawsuit, but claim they were met with a “rebuttal” from Lizzo’s team.
The lawyer representing the dancers, Ron Zambrano, has since claimed his firm is reviewing at least six new complaints about the singer.
“Some of the claims we are reviewing may be actionable, but it is too soon to say,” Zambrano told NBC News.
However, after the conclusion of the singer’s recent ‘Special’ tour, her remaining dancers – known as the ‘Big Grrrls’ and ‘Big Boiiis’ – have shared an open letter praising her.
The post Lizzo planning to sue former backup dancers for “malicious prosecution” appeared first on NME.
