Nigel Lythgoe is fighting back! According to People he is denying Paula Abdul’s allegations that he sexually assaulted her.
Earlier this week, Abdul, 61, accused Lythgoe, 74, of multiple counts of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming that he sexually assaulted her on two occasions when they both worked on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.
Now, in a statement to TMZ, Lythgoe responded to Abdul’s claims, telling the outlet, “To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement. For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear, and entirely platonic, friends and colleagues.”
Noting that he learned of Abdul’s accusations “out of the blue” through the press, Lythgoe continued,
“I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for. … I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
According to her lawsuit — which was filed under the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act that allows civil sexual assault suits to be made even if the statute of limitations has expired — Abdul is suing the defendants for sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence.
The suit names Lythgoe, 19 Entertainment Inc., FremantleMedia North America Inc., American Idol Productions Inc. and Dance Nation Productions Inc. as defendants.
19 Entertainment Inc. and FremantleMedia North America Inc. have not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
American Idol Productions Inc. is detailed in the suit as a subsidiary of Fremantle, while Dance Nation Productions Inc. is noted to be a subsidiary of 19 Entertainment Inc.
Per Abdul’s suit, the first incident involving Lythgoe allegedly took place in the early 2000s, when they were both working on Idol. The suit claims that Lythgoe sexually assaulted Abdul, who was a judge on the series between 2002 and 2009, “while on the road for the regional audition” during one of Idol’s first seasons.
The suit alleges that upon entering an elevator, “Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts and began shoving his tongue down her throat.”
“Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her and let him know that his behavior was not acceptable,” the document adds.
Following the alleged assault, a tearful Abdul called one of her representatives and informed them of what she said had taken place, according to the suit. However, she chose not to take action “for fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from American Idol.”
Abdul also claims she was “discriminated against in terms of compensation and benefits compared to one of the show’s male judges and the host,” and was the victim of “the target of constant taunts, bullying, humiliation and harassment,” during her time on the show.
The second assault allegedly occurred in 2015, per the suit, when Abdul was a judge on SYTYCD.
During a dinner at Lythgoe’s home, which the singer had attended “believing this to be a professional invitation” Lythgoe allegedly “forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple,’ ” per the suit.
Abdul, the document states, “pushed Lythgoe off her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances,” and then left his property.
The suit also details an alleged assault witnessed by Abdul and carried out by Lythgoe against an assistant to the “Straight Up” singer, named in the documents as April. The incident is alleged to have taken place in April 2015.
