Nigel Lythgoe Has Win in 'All American Girl' Sex Assault Lawsuit: 'I Expect That This Will be the First of Many Similar Wins,' Embattled Producer Tells Radar
The disgraced media mogul, 75, asked the judge to force his accuser to reveal her name.
Nigel Lythgoe scored a court victory this week as a judge dismissed the embattled producer from a sexual assault lawsuit brought by two contestants from his 2003 reality competition show, All American Girl.
Court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com revealed a California judge agreed with Lythgoe's argument that the decades-old charges could only apply to a corporate entity — not an individual — under the law cited by the women in their complaint.
The complaint will move forward with an unnamed production company as the only defendant.
As this outlet reported, the Jane Does filed the lawsuit in January, accusing the TV veteran, 74, of sexual assault, sexual harassment, gender violence, and intentionally inflicting emotional distress. They claimed that he "openly swatted and groped" their butts on the show's set and in dressing rooms before things allegedly escalated on the way to a series wrap party in May 2003.
Instead of driving them to the studio where the gathering was taking place, the suit said, Lythgoe took the women to a home in Los Angeles where he allegedly "made sexual advances" toward them. Despite being "rejected," he "persisted and continued," trying to kiss one of the women and "pushing her body close to his," the complaint alleged, adding that she "rejected the kiss and scrambled to release herself from his grasp."
The Jane Doe accused Lythgoe of assaulting her at his home in 2018 when they worked together.
The lawsuit also claimed he "pinned" the other woman "against a grand piano in the house, pushed himself against her body, and forced his mouth and tongue onto her despite her numerous statements telling him not to and attempts to pull her face away from his."
The women filed their lawsuit under The Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which took effect January 1, 2023, and gave victims of sexual abuse the opportunity to pursue claims that were previously time-barred — specifically when corporate entities were involved in covering up the crimes. The law allowed Paula Abdul to file her claims of sexual assault against the producer in December 2023.
Paula Abdul filed a lawsuit against Nigel in December 2023.
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However, violations from before 2009 may only apply to corporate entities under the provision. Therefore, the former All American Girl contestants' complaint will move forward against an unnamed “Roe Production Company" as the only defendant, per records filed on Friday.
Judge Shirley K. Watkins also declined to consider pending legislation that might expand the allowances of the law, writing in her ruling, "I’m not going to make a decision based upon hypotheticals that might occur in the future."
“There are no grounds at this time to grant leave to amend,” Judge Watkins added, meaning the women may not seek to re-add Lythgoe to the complaint. If the proposed legislation is passed and retroactive, the Does could “decide what to do then,” and potentially file a new lawsuit.
"We’ve always said that these claims were meritless and now the Court has agreed," Lythgoe said in an exclusive statement to RadarOnline.com this week in response to the ruling. "I hope and expect that this will be the first of many similar wins as I continue to fight to clear my name.”
Lythgoe still faces three other lawsuits for alleged sexual misconduct.
Abdul's case against Lythgoe for alleged sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and negligence will go to trial in July next year. The Straight Up singer claimed the TV mogul assaulted her on two occasions while they worked together on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.
Lythgoe also faces two other cases filed by anonymous women claiming the producer sexually assaulted them in 2016 and 2018. He has denied all of the accusations against him.
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