Current:Home > FinanceLizzo sued for alleged hostile work environment, harassment by former dancers -ProfitZone
Lizzo sued for alleged hostile work environment, harassment by former dancers
View
Date:2025-04-16 02:24:20
Grammy-award winning singer Lizzo is being sued by three of her former dancers for alleged harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
The complaint was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Lizzo, whose legal name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, as well as her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT).
Shirlene Quigley, captain of Lizzo's dance team, is also named in the complaint.
Dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez allege "sexual, religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment," according to the press release about the lawsuit from the plaintiffs' attorney Ron Zambrano.
"The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing," said Zambrano.
MORE: Lizzo takes on size-ism in new show and album
The complaint alleges that Lizzo pressured her dancers to engage in a nude photo shoot during Lizzo's "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls" dance competition show on Amazon Prime, as well as attend nude performances and touch nude performers at clubs in the Red Light District in Amsterdam.
Dancers also say they were "tricked" into going to a nude cabaret bar by Lizzo, claiming she concealed details about the event they were attending.
Plaintiffs also accuse BGBT management of discriminating against the Black members of the dance team in both pay and treatment.
MORE: Lizzo talks new show, new music and why fight against body shamers continues
Davis also asserts that Lizzo and her team made negative comments alluding to her weight gain.
The dancers also accuse Quigley of preaching Christianity and against premarital sex in the workplace, "while oversharing her masturbatory habits and sex life with her husband," according to the press release. She is also accused of broadcasting a dancer's virginity in the workplace, as well as in interviews and social media.
Davis and Williams say they were fired, while Rodriguez resigned over the alleged workplace climate.
When Rodriguez resigned, she said "Lizzo aggressively approached Ms. Rodriquez, cracking her knuckles, balling her fists" and "feared that Lizzo intended to hit her and would have done so if one of the other dancers had not intervened."
The "Truth Hurts" pop star is known for her body positive activism and upbeat pop music about self-love.
Lizzo's representatives, BGBT and Quigley have not yet returned ABC News' requests for comment.
veryGood! (667)
Related
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- NFL schedule today: Everything to know about Packers vs. Eagles on Friday
- The 3 women killed in Waianae shooting are remembered for their ‘Love And Aloha’
- Man charged with assault in random shootings on Seattle freeway
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Chiefs look built to handle Super Bowl three-peat quest that crushed other teams
- An inspiration to inmates, country singer Jelly Roll performs at Oregon prison
- Emergency crew trying to rescue man trapped in deep trench in Los Angeles
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- No charges for Nebraska officer who killed a man while serving a no-knock warrant
Ranking
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- California schools release a blizzard of data, and that’s why parents can’t make sense of it
- US widens indictment of Russians in ‘WhisperGate’ conspiracy to destroy Ukrainian and NATO systems
- Will Taylor Swift show up for Chiefs’ season opener against the Ravens on Thursday night?
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Gary Oldman talks 'Slow Horses' Season 4 and how he chooses roles 'by just saying no'
- Christina Hall Stresses Importance of Making Her Own Money Amid Josh Hall Divorce
- 'I cried like a baby': Georgia town mourns after 4 killed in school shooting
Recommendation
In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
An inspiration to inmates, country singer Jelly Roll performs at Oregon prison
No charges for Nebraska officer who killed a man while serving a no-knock warrant
Hugh Jackman Proves He’s Still the Greatest Showman With Eye-Popping Shirtless Photo
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
Pivotal August jobs report could ease recession worries. Or fuel them.
Harvey Weinstein UK indecent assault case dropped over chance of conviction
Human remains believed to be hundreds of years old found on shores of Minnesota lake