Paula Abdul's Trial Date Against Accused Assaulter Nigel Lythgoe Pushed Over Scheduling Conflict
Paula Abdul filed a lawsuit against Nigel in December 2023.
May 28 2024, Published 11:38 a.m. ET
Paula Abdul will have to wait even longer to face off against her accused assaulter Nigel Lythgoe. Legal documents obtained by RadarOnline.com show that the Straight Up singer's sexual assault trial has been pushed from July 28, 2025, to August 25, 2025, after Lythgoe's lawyers realized someone on his legal team is "unavailable in July and the first two weeks of August 2025."
The TV exec's team fired off a request on May 24, asking that the trial date be moved "on or after August 18, 2025" at the court's convenience. Abdul's attorneys agreed, declaring that "good reason exists, due to prior commitments and unavailability of trial counsel, to continue the trial date" while revealing she's "in the process of settling her claims" against all the other defendants she named in her lawsuit.
The trial date for her sexual assault lawsuit has been moved.
Judge Thomas D. Long signed an order that same day, officially moving the jury trial date to August 25, 2025. The final status conference, held to determine the length of the trial, was also pushed from June 30, 2025, to August 11, 2025.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Abdul filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe and the production companies behind American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance in 2023 for alleged sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and negligence. She claimed the television veteran assaulted her on two occasions when they worked together on the reality competition shows, allegedly once in an elevator and another time at his L.A. home.
The Jane Doe accused Lythgoe of assaulting her at his home in 2018 when they worked together.
It was alleged that Abdul settled with Lythgoe's former defendants FremantleMedia North America and American Idols Production, and reached an undisclosed agreement with additional defendants 19 Entertainment and Dance Nation Productions earlier this year. When RadarOnline.com asked Abdul's attorney, Melissa Eubanks, about the situation, she told us, "That filing was in error and will be removed or corrected on the public record" — but that does not seem to be the case based on the latest filing.
Paula sued Nigel last year, claiming he sexually assaulted her twice during her 'American Idol' and 'So You Think You Can Dance' stints.
Lythgoe has denied the allegations, calling Abdul's claims "purely fictional" and accusing her of "character assassination." He provided private correspondence between the two that took place after the alleged assaults in an attempt to shut down her accusations — but he wasn't the only one with receipts.
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Abdul accused Lythgoe of "victim shaming" her, claiming he "cherry picked" emails of their private conversations to "discredit her claims."
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RadarOnline.com broke the story — Abdul accused Lythgoe of "victim shaming" her, claiming he "cherry picked" emails of their private conversations to "discredit her claims." RadarOnline.com also broke the story — publishing several text messages between the two, in which Lythgoe begged her to "jump in the pool naked with me" and to "gently make love before my drugs wear off."
Lythgoe is also facing lawsuits from at least three other accusers, who came forward with allegations against the SYTYCD executive. He has since stepped down from his position on the competition dance show.
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