US singer, dancer and television presenter Paula Abdul has filed a lawsuit accusing her former co-star Nigel Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her when they worked together on two popular talent shows.

Abdul rose to fame as a chart-topping singer in the late 1980s, becoming a household name again two decades later for her role as a judge on television talent shows including American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. 

Abdul was a judge for the first eight seasons of American Idol, leaving the show in 2009.

In 2015, she became a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, appearing alongside Lythgoe.

Abdul left the reality show after two seasons and has not worked with Lythgoe since.

She alleged the assault took place years ago.

Lythgoe has denied the allegations in a statement published by US public broadcaster NPR and entertainment website TMZ.

Why are these allegations coming out now?

According to court documents, Abdul immediately reported the alleged assault by Lythgoe — who was an American Idol producer at the time — to her representatives.

But the lawsuit said she did not take action for fear of losing her job.

It also said contracts prohibited her from speaking out.

Abdul’s allegations were detailed in court documents that were filed on Friday.

That’s just two days before the the December 31 filing deadline established under the California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act.

That legislation allows people to launch certain sexual abuse lawsuits that would otherwise have fallen outside the statute of limitations  — which is the window of time after an event when legal action can be taken.

The state of limitations was temporarily suspended in September 2022 until the end of this year. 

“In light of the [Act] Abdul is no longer willing to remain silent,” the lawsuit says. 

More than 3,700 legal claims were filed under a similar law in New York that expired last month.

What do the court documents say?

Abdul accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her in an elevator during the early seasons American Idol.

The lawsuit alleges him of shoving her against the wall of the lift once the doors closed, “then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat”.

Abdul tried to push him away and ran as soon as the elevator doors opened, court documents said.

Another alleged assault took place years later when Abdul worked as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. 

The lawsuit alleges Lythgoe assaulted her on the couch of his Los Angeles home after a work dinner, saying he “attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent power couple”.

Abdul again rejected him and immediately left his home, court documents said.

In the lawsuit, Abdul levels other allegations against him, saying he once called to taunt her and said it had been “seven years and the statute of limitations had run” on the alleged assaults.

It also alleged that the star also witnessed Lythgoe assault one of her assistants on So You Think You Can Dance.

What has Nigel Lythgoe said?

He hasn’t responded to Reuters requests for comment, he has told other outlets he would be fighting the allegations. 

“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement,” he told NPR.  

“For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear — and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues.

“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.”

What has Paula Abdul said?

She hasn’t spoken publicly about the lawsuit yet.

However, her lawyer Douglas Johnson has made a statement about the matter.

“Ms Abdul should be commended for the immense courage required to take action against the type of abuse that was inflicted upon her,” he said. 

“Particularly when the alleged abuser is a figure so dominant in her profession.

“It was clearly a difficult decision to make, but Ms Abdul knows that she stands both in the shoes and on the shoulders of many other similarly situated survivors, and she is determined to see that justice is done.”

ABC with Wires