Lizzo’s lawyers responded in court to a lawsuit filed last month by three former dancers with a blanket denial of their allegations of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, a spokesman for the performer said Thursday.
“This is the first step of a legal process in which Lizzo and her team will demonstrate that they have always practiced what they’ve preached — whether it comes to promoting body positivity, leading a safe and supportive workplace or protecting individuals from any kind of harassment,” said the spokesman, Stefan Friedman. “Any and all claims to the contrary are ridiculous, and we look forward to proving so in a court of law.”
In an answer to the lawsuit from Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, the attorneys said the dancers had sustained no injuries, loss or damages.
The document, filed Wednesday night in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of Lizzo and her production company, Big Grrrl Touring Inc., also raises more than 30 “affirmative defenses” — or legal justifications for why the dancers shouldn’t win the suit — including that Lizzo’s alleged conduct was for “legitimate reasons.”
Lizzo has previously called the allegations “false” and “outrageous.”
A lawyer for the dancers dismissed Wednesday’s filing as “boilerplate objections that have nothing to do with the case” and said the document’s key takeaway was that Lizzo had agreed to a jury trial.
“We look forward to presenting our case in court and letting a panel of her peers decide who is telling the truth, Lizzo and her team who continue to shame the victims or the plaintiffs and so many others who have come forward sharing very similar stories of abuse and harassment.”
The suit, filed August 1, alleged that Lizzo called out one of the dancers for weight gain and pressured her to touch a nude performer at an Amsterdam strip club.
The suit also accused Lizzo of falsely claiming that dancers were drinking before performances — and then subjecting the group to an “excruciating” 12-hour rehearsal during which one of the dancers lost control of her bladder.
Williams said she lost her job after she challenged Lizzo’s claims during an April meeting.
In a separate lawsuit filed last week, a former fashion designer for Lizzo accused the performer of allowing a culture of bullying, harassment and racial discrimination.
A spokesman for Lizzo called the filing a “bogus, absurd publicity stunt from someone who never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
