{"id":104404,"date":"2023-09-28T22:54:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T22:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/09\/28\/lizzo-requests-dismissal-of-former-dancers-ridiculous-harassment-lawsuit\/"},"modified":"2023-09-28T22:54:05","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T22:54:05","slug":"lizzo-requests-dismissal-of-former-dancers-ridiculous-harassment-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/09\/28\/lizzo-requests-dismissal-of-former-dancers-ridiculous-harassment-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Lizzo requests dismissal of former dancers\u2019 \u2018ridiculous\u2019 harassment lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"<br><div id=\"article-text\">\n                        \n\n                        \n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lizzo\u00a0has requested a judge dismiss\u00a0the lawsuit filed last month\u00a0against her by three of her former dancers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lawsuit filed by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez accused the Grammy winner of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment \u2014 accusations Lizzo\u2019s legal team vehemently denies in a new legal document filed on the evening of September 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the first step of a legal process in which Lizzo and her team will demonstrate that they have always practised what they\u2019ve preached \u2013 whether it comes to promoting body positivity, leading a safe and supportive workplace or protecting individuals from any kind of harassment,\u201d said a spokesperson for Lizzo\u2019s legal camp. \u201cAny and all claims to the contrary are ridiculous, and we look forward to proving so in a court of law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The newly filed documents, independently viewed by\u00a0<em>Variety<\/em>, state the singer and her Big Grrrl touring company deny \u201ceach and every allegation\u201d in the lawsuit and ask that it be dismissed \u201cin its entirety with prejudice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It lists over 30 \u201caffirmative defenses,\u201d responding that \u201cthere was no injury, loss or damage to Plaintiffs\u201d and that plaintiffs \u201care guilty of unclean hands\u201d (meaning they are not legally entitled to any damages), among other notes in response to the dancer\u2019s original claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The legal representative for Davis, Williams and Rodriguez did not immediately respond to\u00a0<em>Variety<\/em>\u2018s request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lizzo and her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., along with Shirlene Quigley, captain of Lizzo\u2019s dance team, were named in the lawsuit (filed in August) that accused Lizzo and Quigley of weight shaming the trio of dancers and pressuring them into sexual advances at an Amsterdam strip club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among other claims, Lizzo was accused of subjecting the group of dancers to an \u201cexcruciating\u201d 12-hour rehearsal, forcing one of the women to lose control of her bladder. Both Davis and Williams were fired and Rodriguez resigned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lizzo issued her own lengthy response on social media in the days that followed the trio\u2019s complaint. She wrote that the allegations against her were false and were \u201cas unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hollywood attorney Marty Singer will represent Lizzo in this case. He also issued a statement and dispersed photos of the plaintiffs allegedly taken during one of the outings referenced in their original suit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plaintiffs claimed that they were coerced into attending a nude cabaret bar in Paris but Singer\u2019s statement suggested the dancers were \u201chappily carousing backstage with the performers after the topless cabaret show,\u201d and shared images of them backstage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neama Rahmani and Ron Zambrano, who are representing Davis, Williams and Rodriguez, then released their own statements in which they called out Singer for making \u201cempty threats\u201d and \u201cvictim shaming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the last week,\u00a0another lawsuit was filed by a fashion designer named Asha Daniels\u00a0who worked with Lizzo\u2019s camp during her 2023 tour. The filing names Lizzo, her production company and tour manager along with Lizzo\u2019s wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nomura is accused of acting out stereotypical impressions of Black women, referring to the performers as \u201cfat,\u201d \u201cuseless\u201d and \u201cdumb,\u201d and other offensive patterns of behaviour. Daniels is represented by the same legal team behind Davis, Williams and Rodriguez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This all comes on the heels of Lizzo accepting the Black  Action Coalition\u2019s Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award, an honour that acknowledged her philanthropic work and commitment to social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surrounded by dancers from her \u201cThe Special Tour,\u201d\u00a0Lizzo accepted her award and addressed the BMAC audience: \u201cBlack  Action Coalition, y\u2019all really are about that action. Thank you so much for this, because I needed this right now. God\u2019s timing is always on time!\u201d she exclaimed, tearing up. \u201cI didn\u2019t write a speech because I don\u2019t know what to say in times like these.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She went on to describe her humanitarian and activist initiatives, including donating a quarter of a million dollars in June to Black-led organizations dedicated to helping Black youth, women and the trans community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s easy to do the right thing when everybody\u2019s watching you, and it\u2019s what you do in those moments when nobody\u2019s watching that defines who you are,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, I\u2019m going to continue to put on and represent safe spaces for fat Black women, because that\u2019s what the fuck I do!\u201d<\/p>\n \n                               <p><strong>DISCLAIMER: <\/strong>The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.<\/p>      \n                <!-- Post Tags -->\n                \n\n                         \n                                             \n                    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lizzo\u00a0has requested a judge dismiss\u00a0the lawsuit filed last month\u00a0against her by three of her former dancers. The lawsuit filed by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez accused the Grammy winner of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment \u2014 accusations Lizzo\u2019s legal team vehemently denies in a new legal document filed on the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":104405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Lizzo requests dismissal of former dancers\u2019 \u2018ridiculous\u2019 harassment lawsuit - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/09\/28\/lizzo-requests-dismissal-of-former-dancers-ridiculous-harassment-lawsuit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lizzo requests dismissal of former dancers\u2019 \u2018ridiculous\u2019 harassment lawsuit - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lizzo\u00a0has requested a judge dismiss\u00a0the lawsuit filed last month\u00a0against her by three of her former dancers. The lawsuit filed by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez accused the Grammy winner of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment \u2014 accusations Lizzo\u2019s legal team vehemently denies in a new legal document filed on the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/09\/28\/lizzo-requests-dismissal-of-former-dancers-ridiculous-harassment-lawsuit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-28T22:54:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/220614102919-lizzo-file-2021-exlarge-169.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"780\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"438\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ghana News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ghana News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/09\/28\/lizzo-requests-dismissal-of-former-dancers-ridiculous-harassment-lawsuit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/09\/28\/lizzo-requests-dismissal-of-former-dancers-ridiculous-harassment-lawsuit\/\",\"name\":\"Lizzo requests dismissal of former dancers\u2019 \u2018ridiculous\u2019 harassment lawsuit - 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