By Rachel Scharf
Law360 (December 13, 2024, 7:05 PM EST) -- Paula Abdul told a California state court she has reached a settlement to resolve claims the executive producer behind "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" sexually assaulted her repeatedly during her years as a judge on the reality competition shows.
Abdul's attorneys Thursday filed a notice of settlement in Los Angeles Superior Court , where the Grammy-winning pop star had been pursuing claims of sexual battery, sexual harassment and gender-based violence against television producer Nigel Lythgoe since the end of 2023.
The resolution was reached Monday, according to Abdul's notice. Monetary terms were not disclosed.
"I am grateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me," Abdul said of the settlement in a statement provided by her lawyers. "This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle. I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women, facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives."
Lythgoe continued to deny Abdul's assault claims in a statement of his own.
"We live in a troubling time where a person is now automatically assumed to be guilty until proven innocent, a process that can take years," said Lythgoe. "That is why, like Paula, I am glad to be able to put this behind me. I know the truth and that gives me great comfort."
Abdul's lawsuit alleged she was sexually harassed and assaulted repeatedly while working as a judge on Lythgoe's various reality shows. Abdul claimed that Lythgoe first attacked her during regional auditions for "American Idol" in the early 2000s, grabbing her genitals and breasts and forcibly kissing her in a hotel elevator.
This behavior recurred when Abdul worked with Lythgoe again as a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance," the suit asserted. According to Abdul, Lythgoe attempted to kiss her during a dinner meeting and also groped her assistant while filming that show in Las Vegas in2015.
Lythgoe called the claims "pure fiction," saying in answering papers that Abdul is a "well-documented fabulist" who previously lied about being in a plane crash. Lythgoe suggested that the lawsuit was a publicity stunt ahead of Abdul's 2024 concert tour.
The case had been scheduled to go to trial in August 2025.
In addition to suing Lythgoe, Abdul's suit also initially included allegations that the various production companies associated with the shows turned a blind eye to his misconduct.
The corporate defendants 19 Entertainment Inc., Fremantle Media North America Inc., American Idol Productions Inc. and Dance Nation Productions Inc. settled out of the suit earlier this year. Lawyers for those companies did not return requests for comment Friday.
Meanwhile, Lythgoe still faces other sexual assault claims. Two pending cases in Los Angeles court, brought by the same attorneys who represent Abdul, accuse Lythgoe of forcing himself on anonymous women during a business meeting and in the back of a car.
A fourth sexual assault suit against Lythgoe was dismissed in July as time-barred.
Abdul is represented by Douglas L. Johnson, Neville L. Johnson and Melissa N. Eubanks of Johnson & Johnson LLP.
Lythgoe is represented by Jeffrey K. Riffer, Marina Z. Beck and Amitabh Banerji of Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben Gartside LLP.
Fremantle Media and American Idol Productions are represented by Daniel M. Petrocelli and Molly M. Lens of O'Melveny & Myers LLP.
19 Entertainment and Dance Nation Productions are represented by Emma Luevano, Stephen A. Rossi and Talya Seidman Cytryn of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP.
The case is Paula Abdul v. Nigel Lythgoe et al., case number 23STCV31886, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles.
--Additional reporting by Gina Kim. Editing by Kristen Becker.