Paula Abdul vs. Nigel Lythgoe: Judge Sets 2025 Trial Date Over Sexual Assault Lawsuit
The trial date for her sexual assault lawsuit has been moved.
May 6 2024, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
A trial date in Paula Abdul's sexual assault lawsuit against Nigel Lythgoe has been set, but the former American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance colleagues will have to wait until next year to duke it out. Legal documents obtained by RadarOnline.com show that a jury trial has been scheduled for July 28, 2025, and Judge Thomas D. Long will be proceeding over the matter.
Paula sued Nigel last year, claiming he sexually assaulted her twice during her 'American Idol' and 'So You Think You Can Dance' stints.
Abdul and Lythgoe will come face-to-face next summer at the Los Angeles County Superior Court Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 9 AM in Department 48, per the documents. The trial length will be determined on June 30, 2025, during the final status conference.
The news comes just days after it was revealed the Straight Up singer allegedly settled with Lythgoe's former defendants FremantleMedia North America and American Idols Production on March 18; however, when RadarOnline.com asked Abdul's attorney, Melissa Eubanks, about the situation last month, she told us, "That filing was in error and will be removed or corrected on the public record."
Abdul also allegedly reached an undisclosed agreement with additional defendants 19 Entertainment and Dance Nation Productions.
Nigel denied her allegations, claiming she provided "absolutely no substantiating evidence" to back them up.
As this outlet reported, Abdul filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe and the production companies last year for alleged sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and negligence. She claimed the television veteran allegedly assaulted her on two occasions while they worked together on Idol and SYTYCD, once in an elevator and another time at his L.A. home.
Lythgoe denied the allegations, calling Abdul's claims "purely fictional" and accusing her of "character assassination." He provided correspondence between the two that took place after the alleged assaults she claimed went down in an attempt to dispel her accusations; however, he wasn't the only one with receipts.
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Paula Abdul sued him in December, claiming he forced himself on her twice during her stints on 'American Idol' and 'So You Think You Can Dance.'
We told you first that Abdul accused Lythgoe of "victim shaming" her, claiming he "cherry picked" emails of their private correspondents 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."
Nigel argued that if his accuser's identity isn't disclose, his "defense will also automatically be handicapped."
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The singer's lawsuit was the first of many Lythgoe faces. Post-Abdul's legal actions, three other women came forward with accusations against the SYTYCD executive — who stepped down from his position on the competition dance show.
Abdul and the others filed their lawsuits under the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2023, giving adult survivors more time to take legal action in cases with expired statutes of limitations.
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