She was not allowed to mention it at the time because of her contracts.

https://tvline.com/news/paula-abdul-sexual-assault-lawsuit-american-idol-nigel-lythgoe-1235104774/

Nigel Lythgoe Calls Paula Abdul’s Sexual Assault Claims "Untrue", Takes Swipe at her “History of Erratic Behavior”
by Dominic Patten
December 30, 2023


Over 24 hours after Paul Abdul filed her sexual assault and gender violence lawsuit against Nigel Lythgoe and "American Idol" producers, the co-creator of "So You Think You Can Dance" has finally responded.

Lythgoe has gone on the offensive against what he says are false accusations and a “smear” on his character.




“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement,” Lythgoe declared Saturday in a statement to Deadline.

“For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear – and entirely platonic – friends and colleagues,” he added. “Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for.”

“While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, 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.”

https://deadline.com/2023/12/paula-abdul-sexual-assault-lawsuit-american-idol-nigel-lythgoe-1235683361/

Nigel Lythgoe Faces Another Sexual Assault Suit; "American Idol" Producer Attacked Her in a Chauffeured Car in 2016, Latest Jane Doe Claims
by Dominic Patten
February 21, 2024


"American Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe has been accused of sexual assault for the third time in less than two months.

“What should have been a quick two-minute ride ended up being a ten-to-fifteen minute sexual assault and battery in which plaintiff was trapped in Lythgoe’s vehicle,” alleges a battery, gender violence and emotional distress complaint from a Jane Doe against the former "So You Think You Can Dance" judge.

“Lythgoe’s sexual assault and battery of plaintiff left her feeling horribly violated, shocked, guilty, humiliated, and embarrassed. Such mental anguish and emotional distress were severe and lasting to this day,” the February 17 filed jury trial seeking suit adds in the barest of language.




Having started with a chance meeting in February 2016 in a Beverly Hills hotel bar with Jane Doe and her daughter and two friends, the alleged attack becomes all the more vile when you add in that Lythgoe’s driver was supposedly behind the wheel the entire time, as he took the plaintiff and the Idol boss through the nearby hills against Jane Doe’s expressed wishes.

In her slightly redacted eight-page complaint, Jane Doe is seeking a variety of unspecified damages.




One of Jane Doe's attorney's said in a statement:

“It is troubling to hear of yet another alleged incident of a woman being taken advantage of and abused by a prominent public figure,” Melissa Eubanks said in a statement today. “We are proud to represent Jane Doe and humbled by her courage, and the courage of many other women, to come forward with her story in hopes of ending such egregious misconduct by persons of fame, celebrity, influence, and power,” the Johnson & Johnson attorney added.

https://deadline.com/2024/02/nigel-lythgoe-sexual-assault-suit-american-idol-producer-1235833706/

Nigel Lythgoe slams Paula Abdul's sexual assault allegations as “false, despicable, intolerable and life-changing” (https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/nigel-lythgoe-denies-paula-abdul-sexual-assault-claims-1235930877/)

The So You Think You Can Dance co-creator and former judge responded to Abdul's December lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted her when she was on the Fox reality show. In the new documents filed to the L.A. Superior Court on Friday and obtained by Variety, Lythgoe describes Abdul as a “well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality and are primarily designed to attract attention and make Abdul appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune.” The filing adds: “It is unthinkable that Abdul would even tolerate Lythgoe’s physical proximity let alone send him adoring messages and sexually provocative jokes if her allegations were true — which, clearly, they are not."

Paula Abdul Calls Nigel Lythgoe's Response to her Sexual Assault Allegations "Classic Victim Shaming"
by Wesley Stenzel
March 6, 2024


Paula Abdul is firing back at Nigel Lythgoe.

The singer and reality TV judge, who accused the TV producer of sexually assaulting her when she worked on his shows, "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" in a December lawsuit, denounced Lythgoe’s response to her allegations, in which he called them "pure fiction."



“Mr. Lythgoe’s answer to Ms. Abdul’s complaint is classic victim shaming,” reads a statement from Abdul’s lawyers obtained by EW. “Mr. Lythgoe fails to appreciate that he held a position of power over Ms. Abdul. He was a producer on American Idol and SYTYCD and she was the talent. He held the cards to her career in his hand and he knew it. It thus is no surprise that Ms. Abdul placated to his ego with positive messaging and seeming adoration. These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power.”

Reps for Lythgoe did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.

https://ew.com/paula-abdul-slams-nigel-lythgoe-for-classic-victim-shaming-8605451

Paula Abdul’s Sexual Assault Suit Against Nigel Lythgoe Gets 2025 Trial Date; Grammy Winner Reaches Settlement with "American Idol" Producers
by Dominic Patten
April 30, 2024


Paula Abdul filed her sexual assault and battery suit against Nigel Lythgoe late last year seeking a jury trial, and she’s going to get one starting on July 28, 2025, a LA Superior Court judge announced today.

The date was made public in a Case Management hearing Tuesday morning in DLTA on Abdul’s explosive lawsuit against the long time "Idol" and "SYTYCD" producer.




However, while the much-accused Lythgoe is looking at a trial next year, his former fellow defendants are now off the hook, at least tentatively.

Following up on an April 23 filing statement revealing a settlement between the Johnson & Johnson LLP represented Abdul and FremantleMedia North America and American Idols Productions, one of the Abdul's lawyers said it out loud this AM.

“The parties went to mediation, and the corporate defendants settled out,” Douglas Johnson informed LASC Judge Thomas Long of the deal reached on March 18 with the O’Melveny & Myers LLP represented companies.




Additional defendants 19 Entertainment and Dance Nation Productions also reached an undisclosed agreement with the soon to be touring Abdul, who is out on the road with New Kids on the Block this summer.

As usual, no details of the settlement were released earlier this month or today in court, and there are supposedly some finer points still to be finalized. However, Deadline hears plaintiff Abdul was “satisfied” with the outcome, a well-placed source says.

https://deadline.com/2024/04/paula-abdul-nigel-lythgoe-rape-trial-date-1235900657/

Paula Abdul Settles Sexual Assault Case Against Nigel Lythgoe, Hopes her Experience Can "Inspire Other Women"
by Andy Swift
December 13, 2024


Paula Abdul has reportedly settled her sexual assault case against "American Idol" executive producer and "So You Think You Can Dance" co-creator Nigel Lythgoe, which was first filed nearly one year ago, TVLine has confirmed.

“I am grateful this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me,” Abdul says in a statement.

“This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle. 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.”



In a statement of his own, Lythgoe responds:

“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. 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.”

https://tvline.com/news/paula-abdul-nigel-lythgoe-sexual-assault-case-settled-1235388359/