Paula Abdul slams Nigel Lythgoe for casting doubt on her assault claims

Paula Abdul is slamming Nigel Lythgoe for casting doubt on her sexual assault claims against him.
In court documents filed Oct. 15 and obtained by USA TODAY Tuesday, the embattled ex-judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” responded to Abdul’s sexual assault lawsuit filed in late December. His responses to Abdul’s claims include text messages from Abdul as well as private emails shared by Lythgoe’s attorneys in legal documents.
In a statement to USA TODAY on Tuesday, Abdul’s legal team said she plans to take legal action against Lythgoe’s latest filing.
“Mr. Lythgoe’s use of the pleadings in this lawsuit to cast aspersions on Ms. Abdul is not just a futile effort to besmirch Ms. Abdul’s strong reputation but is wholly improper, and Ms. Abdul will be moving to strike Mr. Lythgoe’s filing from the record,” the statement read.
USA TODAY has reached out to Lythgoe’s representative for comment.
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The Oct. 15 documents filed by Lythgoe contain several alleged text messages and emails that appear to be sent by Abdul to Lythgoe which seemingly show Abdul expressing her love and gratitude for Lythgoe, referring to him as “sweetheart.”
One submitted email said, “Hi Nigel, Thank you for the beautiful flowers — they were exquisite! But, I have to say the kicker was the birthday card last night. I am still howling!
“I also wanted to let you know how happy I was to have you and Andrea join me on my special day! I know you had a previous commitment and was very touched that you were able to move things around to celebrate with me,” the email continued. “I truly appreciate our friendship and am looking forward to launching our project. Xo Xo Paula.”
In one email in 2015, Abdul said that she was “happy” and “thrilled” for Lythgoe, adding “Way to go, sweetheart! You are so deserved,” before ending the note: “I love your guts!!! xo P.”
His lawyers said Abdul’s “tactical campaign of deception through the telling of grotesque and defaming falsehoods was strategically designed to weaponize the climate against Lythgoe,” adding that she leveled “fabricated allegations dating back over 20 years, while standing on the shoulders of those the system was created to protect.”
Paula Abdul sues Nigel Lythgoe,alleges he sexually assaulted her during ‘Idol,’ ‘SYTYCD’
They added that “Abdul has abused the legal process for her own personal and selfish gains” and also questioned the timeline of when the alleged incidents took place.
Lythgoe’s attorneys also brought up Abdul’s alleged “erratic and unpredictable” behavior on set of Fox’s “American Idol,” where she served as a judge. Lythgoe was an executive producer. The attorneys claimed that Abdul “was slurring her speech, unintelligible, drooling and passing out in audition rooms, having to be carried out on two separate occasions.”
The legal filing arrived after the “Straight Up” singer, 62, claimed last winter that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, including an incident where he “shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat.”
In January, Lythgoe stepped down as a judge on the popular reality dancing competition show “So You Think You Can Dance” after two sexual assault lawsuits, including Abdul’s, were filed against him.
In her lawsuit filed in Los Angeles last winter, Abdul alleged Lythgoe sexually assaulted her during one of the “initial seasons” of “Idol” and again in 2014 when she was hosting “SYTYCD.”
Abdul was an “American Idol” judge for eight seasons starting in 2002.
In a statement to USA TODAY at the time, Lythgoe denied the allegations and said he was “shocked and saddened” by Abdul’s claims.
“Not only are (the claims) false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for,” Lythgoe said. “While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri