Three former dancers have filed a suit against Lizzo
Three of Lizzo’s dancers have filed a lawsuit against the Grammy-winning singer over claims they were weight-shamed and sexually harassed, reported NBC News.
In the lawsuit, a dancer claimed she was pressured to touch a nude performer at an Amsterdam club in late February.
The lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court named Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc and the captain of her dance team, Shirlene Quigley, court documents showed, Reuters reported.
The complaints filed by plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez include harassment based on sex, religion, race and disability.
The suit also stated that Ms Davis was pressured to participate in a nude photo shoot to stay in a dance competition despite her discomfort. She claimed she feared losing her job if she didn’t comply with the 35-year-old singer’s requests.
“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,” the plaintiffs’ attorney, Ron Zambrano, said in a statement.
The lawsuit alleged that Ms Quigley harassed the dancers by subjecting them to her religious beliefs against their will.
“Ms Quigley was not only vocal about her religious belief but took every opportunity to proselytize to any and all in her presence regardless of protestations,” the lawsuit stated.
The plaintiffs’ claimed that Quigley forced the topic of Davis’ virginity into conversations and interviews and on social media where she publicly revealed personal details about Davis without her consent.
The lawsuit said that Ms Davis and Ms Williams were eventually fired while Rodriguez resigned over the behaviour.
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