Lizzo wants her former employee’s lawsuits tossed out, denying all of their allegations.
On Wednesday, Lizzo’s attorneys filed a response to the claim brought forth by her former backup dancers, Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis, and Noelle Rodriguez. Their lawsuit named the singer, her company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and dance captain, Shirlene Quigley. In her response, Lizzo said their suit should be tossed because the women are flat-out lying. Specifically, the “Truth Hurts” star said none of the three women “have sustained any injury or loss by reason of any act or omission.”
“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,” a spokesperson for Lizzo shared with Variety.
The ex-dancers sued Lizzo in August, accusing her and her company of creating a toxic workplace that includes racism, fat shaming, sexual harassment, disability discrimination, and even religious discrimination. Among the many shocking revelations, the most stunning was that Lizzo allegedly pushed the women to attend a live sex show in Europe and even egged them on to eat a banana from the private area of one of the performers.
Lizzo is also battling another lawsuit with costume designer Asha Daniels. She designed looks on the singer’s tour last year, and while Daniels wasn’t side-by-side with Lizzo, she did work closely with her wardrobe supervisor, Amanda Nomura. Daniels claims Nomura used racially offensive language and would call the singers “fat” and “dumb.” Lizzo has denied these accusations as well.
Nevertheless, none of this stopped the star from receiving the Black Music Action Coalition’s Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award last week.
