Nigel Lythgoe denies Paula Abdul’s “deeply offensive” claims in sexual assault lawsuit

Television producer Nigel Lythgoe has denied allegations made by Paula Abdul in a recent lawsuit accusing him of sexually abusing the singer twice while they worked together on his TV shows.

“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a complete understatement,” the “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance” executive producer said in a statement on Sunday E! News.

“For more than two decades, Paula and I have treated each other as dear – and entirely platonic – friends and colleagues,” he continued. “Yesterday, however, I learned of these allegations in the press out of the blue and I want to make it clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and everything I stand for.”

Lythgoe further stated that he planned to “fight this appalling slander with everything I have.”

Representatives for the producer did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Tuesday.

Read more: Paula Abdul is suing “American Idol” and “SYTYCD” producer Nigel Lythgoe over alleged sexual assault

Abdul’s lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleged that her boss and on-air co-star Lythgoe sexually assaulted her twice during her time on his shows. Abdul appeared as a judge on “American Idol” from 2002 to 2009 and on the dance competition “So You Think You Can Dance” from 2015 to 2016.

According to the lawsuit, Lythgoe, 74, first attacked Abdul, 61, in a hotel elevator in the 2000s while they were on their way to film an early season of “American Idol.” Abdul claimed that a day after the regional auditions, the executive producer “pushed her against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts and began shoving his tongue down her throat” before running to her hotel room and telling her representatives reported incident.

Lythgoe allegedly attacked Abdul again in 2015 while she was a judge on season 12 of So You Think You Can Dance. At the time, Lythgoe, who co-created the show and served as executive producer, was also on the jury alongside Abdul. She claimed that she was invited to what she thought was a professional dinner at Lythgoe’s home, only for Lythgoe to force himself on her and attempt to kiss her while she sat on his couch before she pushed him away and fled.

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According to the lawsuit, Abdul feared professional retaliation or harassment if she spoke out against Lythgoe, who was then president of television for “American Idol” and a “So You Think You Can Dance” producer for 19 Entertainment Inc.

The “Straight Up” and “Opposites Attract” hitmaker also claimed she saw Lythgoe groping her assistant without her consent while filming “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2015.

She also claimed that her contracts for the shows prohibited her from disclosing confidential or derogatory information about other judges, hosts or production staff, the lawsuit says. Abdul alleged that Lythgoe, other executives and representatives of the show’s producers subjected her to “taunts, bullying, humiliation and harassment,” including misleading edits to footage of Abdul that portrayed her as “incompetent.”

The lawsuit names Lythgoe and production companies 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia North America, American Idol Productions and Dance Nation Productions as defendants. Allegations include sexual assault/abuse, sexual harassment, gender-based violence and negligence.

Read more: Harvey Weinstein was sued in Los Angeles for sexual assault and assault

Abdul’s lawsuit was filed under this year’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which provides limited time periods for filing certain civil sexual abuse claims beyond the standard statute of limitations. Other high-profile lawsuits recently filed under the law alleged sexual assault allegations against Jermaine Jackson and former Recording Academy boss Mike Greene. Aerosmith’s Sean “Diddy” Combs, Antonio “LA” Reid and Steven Tyler were sued under a similar New York law.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.