The lawsuit filed against Lizzo includes charges of harassment based on religion, sex, disability, and race.
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In a lawsuit that rocked the music industry on Tuesday, three former dancers – Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez, and Crystal Williams – have accused the Grammy-winning singer of weight-shaming her dancers and sexual harassment. The lawsuit has also thrown light on the hostile work environment provided to the dancers.
One of the plaintiffs has accused Lizzo of forcing her to touch the breasts of a nude performer at a strip club in Amsterdam. The incident took place last February.
The lawsuit was filed against Lizzo, her production company Big Grrl Big Touring Inc, and the dance captain of her team Shirley Quigley, at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Details of the Lawsuit filed against Lizzo.
The lawsuit comes as a shock for many of Lizzo’s fans. The suit also alleges the singer of drawing attention to one of the plaintiffs gaining some extra pounds. Lizzo has been an advocate of body positivity and has been seen celebrating her fuller physique. Keeping that in mind, the singer’s treatment of her team members comes across as quite a surprise. She also berated that dancer and later fired her for recording a meeting because of an eye condition.
Apart from the accusations of a hostile working environment and religious, and sexual harassment, the lawsuit has brought forth claims of racial discrimination, and hindrance in the dancers’ economic advancement. All claims are not brought against every defendant.
The suit also accuses Lizzo’s dance team captain Shirley Quigley of proselytizing the former dancers. She has also been accused of deriding one of the plaintiffs for having premarital sex. She has been allegedly discussing lewd sexual fantasies with the dancers, and openly talking about one of the dancer’s virginity in interviews, on public platforms. There is no proof that Lizzo was unaware of what was going on.
According to the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Rob Zambrano, Lizzo was aware of their complaints. Zambrano said in a statement that the ‘You’re Special’ singer and her management team treated their performers in a way that goes against what she stands for in public. Her private comments about the dancer’s weight gain and demeaning them are not only illegal but also demoralizing.
Dancers were Dismissed.
As mentioned in the case filed, Ms. Davis and Ms. Williams were fired from the company while Ms. Rodriguez resigned earlier this year.
Arianna Davis and Crystal Williams were hired for performing with Lizzo after they participated in the singer’s Amazon Prime Video reality show Watch Out for the Big Girls in 2021. The same year, Noelle Rodriguez came on board after performing on the song ‘Rumors’.
Davis and Williams were dismissed by the company earlier in April and May. Williams was fired after she complained about the dancers indulging in alcohol during working hours. Davis who had a mishap during 12 hours of intense and excruciating rehearsal, was fired five days later citing issues of budget cuts. It is interesting to note, that it was Ms. Davis who was forced by the pop star to touch the naked breasts of a stripper at the Amsterdam strip club.
Ms. Rodriguez was deemed as a ‘non-believer’ by Miss Quigley. The other cast members of the team tried to stop forcing her Christian beliefs on others. To this Quigley responded that no job can stop her from praising her lord. This incident might have created tremendous mental pressure on the plaintiff.
Lizzo still continues to ‘inspire’.
In a recent interaction with an Australian fan, the ‘Juice’ hitmaker told her that she was very special and could become the greatest dancer in the world. The video clip of the interaction has been circulating on the internet.
But after this lawsuit, it might become difficult for some of the singer’s fans to view her as the flawless change-making icon.
