KUALA LUMPUR, August 2 — US singer Lizzo is the focus of a bombshell lawsuit filed by three former tour dancer at the Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday.
The lawsuit alleges the singer of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment while highlighting several incidents taking place between 2021 and 2023, according to NBC.
The suit was filed against Lizzo or her real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson, her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. as well as dance captain, Shirlene Quigley.
The lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs and dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez.
Amongst the accusations include Lizzo allegedly pressuring Davis to touch a nude performer at a club in Amsterdam and berating her weight gain before firing Davis for recording a meeting.
The suit also alleges Lizzo subjecting the dance group to an ‘excruciating’ 12-hour audition following false accusations that they were drinking on the job.
While Quigley was accused of proselytising the dance group as well as sharing lewd fantasies while also publicly discussing one of the plaintiff’s virginity where she did interviews on it and posting it on her social media.
Williams and Davis were fired in April and May this year while Rodriguez resigned.
According to the suit, Williams was fired at a hotel lobby by Lizzo’s tour manager on April 26 just a few days after she spoke up at a meeting against Lizzo’s assertion that the dancers were drinking before their performance.
William’s termination was attributed to budget cuts.
Following her decision to publicly fire Williams, Lizzo ‘repeatedly’ raised the issue in an April 27 meeting where Rodriguez confronted Lizzo saying that she felt disrespected and would resign.
Lizzo responded by “cracking her knuckles, balling her fists” while cursing at Rodriguez and told her that she was ‘lucky’ and had raised both of her middle fingers to Rodriguez as she left, according to the suit.
Meanwhile, Davis alleges that in April 2023, Lizzo questioned her “commitment”, which she felt was a shrouded criticism of her weight.
Davis claimed she was fired on the spot the following month after Lizzo learned she recorded performance notes during the April 27 meeting, attributing her decision to record was due to an eye condition that left her disoriented in stressful situations.
In light of the lawsuit, some of those who had worked with the Truth Hurts singer have also come forward to speak up against her.
This includes another of Lizzo’s former dancers, Courtney Hollinquest, who took to Instagram to back the dancers.
“For clarification, I’m not a part of the lawsuit - but this was very much my experience in my time there.
“Big shoutout to the dancers who had the courage to bring this to light,” Hollinquest wrote in her Instagram story.
Hollinquest’s Instagram story was also reposted by Lizzo’s former creative director Quinn Whitney Wilson via her Instagram story.
“I haven’t been a part of that world for around three years, for a reason. I very much applaud the dancers’ courage to bring this to light. and I grieve for parts of my own experience.”
“I’d appreciate space to understand my feelings,” Wilson wrote.
Sharing this because validating other Black women's experiences is deeply important to me. pic.twitter.com/gd2xEK6szq
— Sophia Nahli Allison (@SophiaNAllison) August 1, 2023
Filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison had taken to Twitter claiming that she had dropped as director of Lizzo’s documentary in 2019 after facing mistreatment from her.
“In 2019, I travelled a bit with Lizzo to be the director of her documentary. I walked away after about two weeks. I was treated with such disrespect by her.
“I witnessed how arrogant, self-centred and unkind she is. I was not protected and was thrown in a sh***y situation with little support.
“Reading these reports made me realise how dangerous of a situation it was. This kind of abuse of power happens far too often. Much love and support to the dancers,” Allison said.
