Lizzo just secured one of her biggest courtroom victories since a wave of workplace allegations began following her 2023 tour.
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On Tuesday, September 1, U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha granted summary judgment in favor of Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc., dismissing the remaining claims brought by former wardrobe worker Asha Daniels. The ruling effectively ends Daniels’ case at the federal trial court level unless she successfully pursues further legal action.Daniels filed her complaint in September 2023 after working on the European portion of Lizzo’s Special Tour. She accused members of the touring operation of fostering a “culture of racism and bullying” and alleged sexual harassment, racial discrimination, disability discrimination, retaliation and other workplace misconduct.
But the judge determined that the evidence presented did not satisfy the legal requirements necessary for the remaining discrimination and harassment claims to move forward.
According to the ruling, Daniels “did not identify any conduct” that would “demonstrate general hostility to women in the workplace or disparate treatment of men and women.”
“This alleged conduct and these alleged incidents, while inappropriate and unprofessional, fall within the scope of what the Supreme Court has held to be outside the protection of Title VII, part of the ordinary tribulations of the workplace,” the judge wrote.
The court also rejected Daniels’ racial discrimination allegations, which included accusations involving wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura and alleged racial slurs.
“There is no evidence to suggest Nomura ever spoke a racial slur or referred to any specific Black person or Black people generally using racially offensive language,” Aenlle-Rocha wrote.
Daniels also alleged she suffered an injury while working and was denied appropriate accommodations or medical assistance. The judge ultimately found that the injuries described did not qualify as disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
For Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Jefferson, the decision closes another chapter of a legal fight that had already been significantly narrowed.
Lizzo herself had been dismissed from Daniels’ federal case in December 2024. The court found that Daniels’ federal Title VII and ADA claims could not impose individual liability on Lizzo under the circumstances alleged. Big Grrrl Big Touring remained a defendant, allowing the litigation to continue until this latest ruling.
Lizzo’s attorney Melissa Y. Glass celebrated Tuesday’s decision as “a total victory for Lizzo, her touring company and the other defendants named in Asha Daniels’ ludicrous lawsuit.”
“There was never any basis for Ms. Daniels to sue Lizzo, her touring company, her tour manager or her wardrobe manager. Indeed, the case against Lizzo was thrown out in December 2024. We are exploring all avenues to enforce our clients’ rights after this major win,” Glass said.
Lizzo also wasted little time addressing the victory herself.
“Today I am relieved to announce that I have won the case against me and my company Big Grrrl Touring,” she wrote on Instagram. “All the ridiculous claims by a wardrobe assistant who worked on tour for less than 3 weeks (including a claim they broke an acrylic nail) have been dismissed.”
The 38-year-old singer said the accusations were especially “shocking because I was being sued by someone who admittedly never met me.”
“I prayed for the truth to come out, and thanks to my incredible lawyers, the truth has prevailed,” Lizzo continued. “The truth matters more to me than anything, and I told y’all I will not settle and will continue to fight until every vicious claim that has been made against me and my businesses.”
Daniels’ side sees the ruling very differently.
Her attorney, Ron Zambrano, said the court should have allowed jurors to decide how the alleged workplace conduct should be interpreted.
“We are disappointed by the Court’s ruling. While we respect the Court and the judicial process, we believe the decision improperly weighed evidence that should have been evaluated by a jury. In our view, the ruling appears to minimize evidence of a sexually charged work environment by assessing incidents too narrowly (i.e., pictures of penises and sexually charged comments by managers), rather than considering their cumulative impact,” he said.
Zambrano also challenged the court’s conclusion concerning Daniels’ alleged injury.
“We disagree that an employee twisting her ankle and limping while trying to work does not meet the legal standard of a disability under the ADA. These are important issues because these claims often depend on how a jury evaluates the full workplace environment, the surrounding context, and disputed facts. We respectfully disagree with the Court’s approach and are considering appropriate next steps.”
The dismissal comes after years of aggressive arguments from both camps.
In 2025, Lizzo’s attorneys characterized Daniels’ lawsuit as “meritless” and called Daniels a “brazen liar” who was “disgruntled,” had “an inflated ego,” and was pursuing “personal vendettas.”
Zambrano predicted at the time that the defense would not succeed.
“We fully expected the defense to file a motion to dismiss. We also fully expect the judge to deny the motion, and we look forward to taking this case to trial and winning,” he said.
He added, “The motion is meritless, and the defense knows it, but their modus operandi is to treat all lawsuits as having no grounds to proceed by repeatedly blaming the victim. It won’t work.”
This victory does not completely clear Lizzo’s legal slate.
A separate lawsuit filed in August 2023 by former dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez remains ongoing. That case involves its own workplace allegations and is legally distinct from Daniels’ case. Courts have already narrowed portions of the dancers’ lawsuit, including the dismissal of a fat-shaming-related claim in December 2025, but other claims remain unresolved.
For now, Daniels’ case represents a major win for Lizzo and Big Grrrl Touring after nearly three years of litigation. But with Daniels’ lawyer weighing possible next steps and the separate dancers’ case still alive, the singer’s broader courtroom fight is not completely finished.
