Abdul rose to stardom in the late 80s and built a second career as a judge of reality show competitions in the early 2000s. In the suit, she alleges that during one of the early seasons of “American Idol,” Lythgoe sexually assaulted her in an elevator, Variety report.
She alleges that he shoved her against a wall, groped her breasts and genitals, and shoved his tongue down her throat. According to the suit, she tried to push him away, and as soon as the hotel door opened, she ran to her room.
Paula Abdul and former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe have reached a private settlement a year after she first sued him on sexual assault allegations, according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.
Financial details of the settlement weren’t disclosed in the court documents. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Abdul said she was “grateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me.”
“This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle,” Abdul said. “I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women, facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives.”
As Lythgoe said in a statement: “We live in a troubling time where a person is now automatically assumed to be guilty until proven innocent, a process that can take years,” he said. “That is why, like Paula, I am glad to be able to put this behind me.
I know the truth and that gives me great comfort.”
