Nigel Lythgoe Slashes Price of Paso Robles Winery by $5.5 Million Before Paula Abdul Lawsuit

Nigel Lythgoe appears desperate to offload his California winery — because he slashed the price by a whopping $5.5. million months before Paula Abdul sued him for sexual assault, RadarOnline.com can exclusively report.

Lythgoe and his American Idol co-creator Ken Warwick bought the 164-acre estate in Paso Robles, CA, in 2005 before tearing it down and building the gorgeous Tuscan-style winery now known as Villa San-Juliette (VSJ).

The TV-producing duo put the winery on the market for $22 million in August 2022; however, property records obtained by RadarOnline.com show that one year later, in August 2023, VSJ's asking price significantly decreased.

Lythogoe and Warwick dropped the winery to $16.5 million, which is still a good chunk of change considering they purchased the property for $5.2 million nearly three decades ago.

Lythgoe's business move came just four months before Abdul went public with her bombshell allegations. As RadarOnline.com reported, the Straight Up singer sued Lythgoe last week for sexual assault, claiming the American Idol executive forced himself on her during her stints as a judge on the singing competition show as well as So You Think You Can Dance.

She outlined two alleged incidents, one of which she claimed she told her representative about but did not pursue the accusations out of fear of retaliation. Abdul also claimed that he called her at some point after the alleged incidents and "taunted" her by saying they should celebrate because it had been "7 years and the statute of limitations had run."

Lythgoe denied her accusations, with his rep telling RadarOnline.com, "To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement. For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear – and entirely platonic – friends and colleagues. Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for."

But Abdul isn't the only female who has stepped forward with allegations against Lythgoe.

The TV veteran was hit with a second lawsuit on Tuesday by two contestants from his short-lived competition show All American Girl.

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The women — who filed the suit under Jane Doe pseudonyms — accused Lythgoe of showing up on the set and in the dressing rooms where he allegedly "openly swatted and groped" their butts. They claimed that Lythgoe, a producer on the 2003 program, insisted that one of the girls ride with him to the studio to meet the rest of the cast after their wrap party. The second plaintiff alleged she rode with them to protect her friend. Instead of taking them to the studio, Lythgoe's accusers alleged he took them to his home, where things reportedly escalated.

Like Abdul, the women's lawsuit falls under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which waives the statute of limitations on some sexual misconduct allegations.

As of this post, Lythgoe has yet to acknowledge the latest lawsuit.