Lizzo plans to SUE dancers who are accusing her of sexual harassment

08/26/2023

Lizzo plans to SUE dancers who are accusing her of sexual harassment – as new photos show accusers posing with topless dancers in Paris weeks after claiming singer forced them into banana sex acts in Amsterdam

Lizzo’s attorney Marty Singer told DailyMail.com the plaintiffs were ‘happily cavorting backstage’ despite claiming in their lawsuit they were forced to go
The attorney for the accusers Neama Rahmani said: ‘Of course, they wanted to keep their jobs.
‘They had bills to pay just like everyone else but they finally had enough of the abuse. We stand by every claim in the lawsuit and look forward to trial’
Lizzo has vehemently denied the allegations against her in the lawsuit

Lizzo is planning to sue three of her former back-up dancers who are currently suing her over claims of sexual harassment.

Crystal Williams, 24, Noelle Rodriguez, 25 and Arianna Davis, 26 are accusing the Grammy-winner, 35, of sexual and racial harassment and creating a hostile work environment – alleging the plus-sized pop icon dragged them along to degrading sex shows while touring Europe in February and March.

Lizzo has vehemently denied the allegations against her in the lawsuit which accused her of pressuring the employees to touch nude performers at a club in Amsterdam, among other claims that included weight shaming.

New photos obtained by DailyMail.com have emerged of the trio happily posing with topless performers backstage at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris on March 5 2023 – weeks after they claimed Lizzo pressured them to eat bananas and catch dildos from performers’ vaginas during a February night out in Amsterdam’s infamous red-light district.

Lizzo’s attorney Marty Singer told DailyMail.com the plaintiffs were ‘happily cavorting backstage’ and ‘gleefully reveling’ despite claiming in their lawsuit they were forced to go against their will.

In a statement, Singer said: ‘As the old saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words. The photos and videos of plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez happily carousing backstage with the performers after the topless cabaret show at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris speak volumes.

Lizzo is planning to sue three of her former back-up dancers who are currently suing her over claims of sexual harassment(pictured June 9 2023)

Crystal Williams, 24, Noelle Rodriguez, 25 and Arianna Davis, 26 are accusing the Grammy-winner, 35, of sexual and racial harassment and creating a hostile work environment – they are pictured posing with topless dancers at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris on March 5 2023

‘In their lawsuit, the three plaintiffs claim that they were forced to go to the show at the Crazy Horse against their will on March 5, 2023. In fact, after they watched the topless dance show, they went backstage with the other Big Grrrls dancers to meet the performers.

‘Photos and videos show Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez happily cavorting backstage with the Crazy Horse dancers who are wearing colorful wigs.

‘These images showing the three plaintiffs gleefully reveling backstage after the topless show were taken after their February 2023 visit to Bananenbar in Amsterdam that they complain about in their lawsuit.

‘A few weeks after the visit to Crazy Horse seen in the images, all three plaintiffs had a break and chose to reup and return for the third leg of Lizzo’s tour.

Singer also referenced an audition tape for Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls recorded by accuser Arianna Davis and submitted on April 5 2023 in which Davis explained she was auditioning as a singer and expressed that working with Lizzo has ‘been amazing’ and ‘such a beautiful journey.’

Arianna later opened up to TMZ to give an explanation in regards to the past clip.

She explained, ‘Right up until the last minute I didn’t realize how bad it was and how much I was being taken advantage of. I just genuinely wanted to save my job. This video further explains how much I was trying to please Lizzo.’

Singer continued: ‘After Ms. Davis’s audition video became public, she tried to explain away her glowing comments about Lizzo by claiming the “bulk” of her accusations were based on things that happened later. That excuse is completely contradicted by the facts, including by these images.

‘These irrefutable photos and videos, along with additional substantial evidence, prove the glaring contradictions between what the plaintiffs claim in their bogus lawsuit and what is actually proven by the facts. The lawsuit is a sham. Lizzo intends to sue for malicious prosecution after she prevails and these specious claims are dismissed.’

The attorney for the accusers Neama Rahmani told TMZ, who was first to report Lizzo’s plans to sue: ‘Of course, they wanted to keep their jobs. They had bills to pay just like everyone else but they finally had enough of the abuse. We stand by every claim in the lawsuit and look forward to trial.

‘We’ve been hearing from other former employees sharing similar stories, and as seen in the Los Angeles Times article today about how Lizzo used intimate footage of her dancers without their approval in the 2022 HBO Max ‘Love Lizzo’ documentary, we’re seeing even more of a pattern of just how much Lizzo thinks of those who work for her. Clearly, not very much.’

The trio’s lawsuit accuses the four-time Grammy winner of pressuring the dancers into interacting with sex show performers on a wild February 23 night out in Amsterdam’s infamous red-light district.

‘Things quickly got out of hand,’ the suit contends.

‘Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas.

The trio claim the plus-sized pop icon dragged them along to degrading sex shows while touring Europe in February and March.

The trio claim the raunchy displays left them grappling with emotional distress but within weeks all three had cut new deals with the ‘Truth Hurts’ hitmaker, according to Singer earlier this week.

An agent for Davis and Williams signed a memorandum of agreement dated April 11 while a rep for Rodriguez confirmed her commitment in an April 4 email, according to paperwork shared exclusively with DailyMail.com.

Earlier this month Singer slammed Davis after releasing footage of the dancer speaking about Lizzo in glowing terms

Singer insists that the former dancers’ lawsuit, filed in LA Superior Court, is riddled with contradictions and ‘significant’ factual inaccuracies.

‘Even at this early stage of the process, their case has been irreparably damaged,’ the veteran showbiz attorney told us.

The August 1 suit came as a bombshell for body-positive role model Lizzo who denies a battery of accusations, from ‘fat shaming’ and disability discrimination to assault and false imprisonment.

It seeks unspecified damages from Melissa Viviane Jefferson – Lizzo’s real name – her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and Shirlene Quigley, captain of the performer’s dance team.

The suit accuses the four-time Grammy winner of pressuring the dancers into interacting with sex show performers on a wild February 23 night out in Amsterdam’s infamous red-light district.

‘Things quickly got out of hand,’ the suit contends.

‘Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas.

‘Lizzo then turned her attention to Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club. Lizzo began leading a chant goading Ms. Davis.’

The plaintiffs claim that one month later Lizzo tricked them into attending another erotic show in Paris where ‘nudity was prominently featured.’

Failing to warn them about the adult content was akin to ‘robbing them of the choice not to participate’, according to the suit, and the three were left shaken and angry.

Weeks later, however, Davis, Rodriguez, and Williams all willingly signed up for the third leg of Lizzo’s ‘The Special Tour,’ Singer points out.

‘All three plaintiffs had time off from March 27 to April 15, 2023, after the second leg of the tour and after the alleged incidents in Amsterdam in February and Paris in March,’ he told DailyMail.com.

‘Each of them had the choice to sign a new agreement to re-up for the third leg of the tour. All three of them chose to sign an additional agreement to re-up for the third leg of the tour.

‘If they had been subjected to horrific conduct by Lizzo, as claimed in the lawsuit, why would they have chosen to return?’

Singer made a similar claim earlier this month after releasing footage of Davis recording a video interview for season two of Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls show.

‘I’ve been working for Lizzo … for maybe close to a year now and it’s been so amazing and such a beautiful journey,’ Davis says in the April 5 video, lavishing praise on Lizzo as an inspiration and a ‘queen’.

‘After Ms. Davis’s audition video became public, she tried to justify her glowing comments about Lizzo by falsely claiming that the bulk of their accusations were based on things that occurred after the video,’ Singer said this week.

‘Her own complaint refutes that and shows that the bulk of her complaints about Lizzo are based on things that allegedly occurred before her April 5, 2023 video.

‘This confirms that she was willing to continue to make false statements.’

Lizzo’s former three dancers branded the singer ‘fat-phobic’ and accused her of sexual harassment in an interview on Newsmax last week, accompanied by their lawyer

Singer points to another alleged error in the dancer’s filing when it refers to Williams and Davis being ‘pressured to participate in a nude photoshoot’ while they were contestants on the first season of Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.

Their lawsuit says the incident made contestants feel severely uncomfortable and left Davis feeling especially distressed.

But, according to Singer, Williams only ever appeared in episode one of the show, filmed on August 11 and 12, 2021, while the photoshoot was shot from August 20 to 22 for episode four.

‘She was off the show long before that episode took place and she was not present when that photo shoot occurred,’ he said.

‘It is not merely false, but it is an impossibility for her to have been ‘pressured’ to be in the photo shoot.’

The suit further accuses Lizzo of calling out Davis for her weight gain despite knowing she suffered from binge eating disorder and mental health struggles.

Davis claims she was forced to ‘soil herself’ on stage during an ‘excruciating’ rehearsal before being fired for secretly recording a meeting.

Williams was also fired while Rodriguez resigned, claiming that Lizzo was so mad about it that the performer approached her ‘aggressively, yelling profanities, cracking her knuckles and balling her fists’ before she was pulled away.

Quigley, who served as a judge on Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, is accused in the lawsuit of pushing her Christian beliefs onto dancers even as she boasted openly about her ‘masturbatory habits and sexual fantasies.’

The 35-year-old popstar has found herself at the center of a sensational scandal after having marketed herself as a body-positive activist.

Earlier this month, DailyMail.com revealed she was dropped from Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show consideration as a result of the accusations.

Lizzo has labeled the allegations ‘sensationalized stories’ that are ‘as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed’.

Her attorney’s critique comes after Lizzo received a show of support last week from her Big Grrrl & Big Boiii dance troupes, who took to Instagram with a joint statement defending her.

‘We have had the time of our lives on The Special Tour,’ their post read. ‘We have been so honored to share the stage with such amazing talent. This tour experience has been beyond just #Special!’

Ron Zambrano, an attorney for Williams, Rodriguez and Davis conceded that Williams had not been present for the nude photoshoot but played down the error.

‘We’re aware of the first point regarding the typo of Williams’ inclusion in this section, which is clarified later in the same section of the complaint where only Ms. Davis is included for that small part of the story,’ he said.

‘As for the two other points, we stand by the plaintiffs’ prior response during interviews to the same inquiries.’

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