Paula Abdul, former “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgow has agreed to settle a lawsuit in which she accused him of sexually assaulting her in the early 2000s when she was a judge on the show.
Abdul filed a notice of settlement in the case in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday. It must also be approved by a judge.
“I am grateful that this chapter has been successfully closed and that I can now put it all behind me,” Abdul said in a statement on Friday. “This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle. I hope my experience inspires other women facing similar struggles to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect so that they too can turn over a new leaf and begin a new chapter in their lives.
“We live in a troubling time in which a person is now automatically considered guilty until proven innocent, a process that can take years,” Lythgow said in her statement. “That’s why, like Paula All the same, I’m glad to be able to put this behind me and it gives me a lot of comfort knowing the truth.
Court documents said the settlement was unconditional but did not disclose terms, and Abdul’s lawyers Melissa Eubanks said she could not comment on them.
The lawsuit filed nearly a year ago also accuses Lythgow of sexually assaulting Abdul after she left “American Idol” and became a judge on Lythgow’s other competition show, “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Lythgow said at the time that he was “shocked and saddened” by the accusations, which he called “shocking slander.”
Lythgow resigned as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance in January after other lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct were filed.
The 75-year-old British-born producer has been a prominent British and American television producer for decades, working on reality competition shows including “American Idol.”
The Associated Press generally does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Abdul has.
Abdul, a Grammy- and Emmy-winning singer and dancer, said in her lawsuit that she kept silent about the alleged assault for years out of fear of retaliation from “one of the most famous producers of television’s competition shows.”
She claims the first sexual assault occurred while Abdul and Lythgo were auditioning for an early season of “American Idol,” which premiered in 2002.
Abdul said Lythgow groped her in a hotel elevator after a day of filming and “started shoving his tongue down her throat.” When the elevator doors opened, Abdul pushed past him and ran toward her hotel room.
“Abdel broke down in tears and quickly called one of her representatives to inform them of the assault, but ultimately decided not to take action out of fear that Lythgow would fire her,” the lawsuit states.
Abdul served as a judge for the first eight seasons, leaving in 2009.
In 2015, Abdul became a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, appearing alongside Lythgoe.
Abdul claims in the lawsuit that around that time, Lythgow forced himself on top of her and tried to kiss her while they were eating dinner at his home. Abdul said she pushed Lythgow away again and left immediately.
Abdul left the reality show after two seasons. She hasn’t worked with Lythgoe since.
In a statement at the time of the lawsuit, Lythgoe said: “While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I cannot pretend to fully understand why she is filing this lawsuit, which she must know to be untrue.”
This story was originally published on Associated Press.
